Tech entrepreneur Kumar Malavalli works at home in a manner befitting a Silicon Valley chieftain: He holds meetings in an executive center on his roughly 8-acre property, which also includes a bell tower and indoor swimming pool with a retractable roof. The compound is listing for $88 million. The Los Altos Hills, Calif. estate is one of the most expensive properties ever to be publicly listed in the area, although other homes have traded privately for higher prices, said listing agent Michael Dreyfus of Dreyfus Sotheby’s International Realty. The five-bedroom main house measures about 20,400 square feet, Mr. Dreyfus said. Across a bridge is the executive center, a roughly 1,024-square-foot structure with a reception desk, kitchenette and conference room. Mr. Malavalli, the 72-year-old co-founder of the data center and storage networking company Brocade Communications Systems who heads venture group VKRM, said he works primarily out of the executive center, which he built to help keep his work life separate from his personal life. That way “when I go home, it’s just home,” he said.
The estate also has another building that holds a catering kitchen. Mr. Malavalli said he likes to entertain, and has hosted events for up to 250 people on the property. The estate “is really set up for somebody who wants to do business in the Valley and entertain in the Valley,” said Mr. Dreyfus. An indoor pool has a swim-up bar and a retractable roof that automatically closes when it starts to rain. Other amenities include a six-car garage, a gym, a home theater where Mr. Malavalli said he likes to host movie nights and a wine cellar that fits about 4,000 bottles, some of which are from grapes grown on the property. The grounds also include the bell tower with an area that can be used as a stage, various sculptures and gardens, including a meditation garden. Mr. Malavalli said he and his wife are selling because they are empty-nesters, and want a smaller home closer to their grandchildren. This article originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal.