Founder & CEO | View Profile
Mr Balaraju Kondaveeti completed his M.S. (Entrepreneurship) from IIT Madras. As part of his M.S. (Entrepreneurship), he founded a company in 2006. Mr Balaraju holds 2 patents (granted) in the area of Internet Security. These patents were licensed to Lasersoft Infosystems, a Polaris Group company. Mr Balaraju won the Best Student Plan Award in the Business Plan Conclave organised by PAN IIT Global Conference 2008. Mr Balaraju won the National Budding Innovator Award in 2009 from NRDC, a Government of India Enterprise. In 2009, he co-founded BodhBridge Educational Services (P) Limited, which was incubated at IIT Madras. Mr Balaraju has been a consultant in two large projects at IIT Madras, namely, NPTEL and the IITM BS Degree Program.

Retired Faculty, IIT Madras | View Profile
Prof. L.S Ganesh was the former Dean of Students, IIT Madras. He is a Professor at the Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras. He also served as the head of the management studies department from 2004 until 2008. Prof. L.S Ganesh's research work involved the application of time series forecasting models and system dynamics concepts to educational planning in Tamil Nadu schools. He was a key member of some national-level projects sponsored by ISRO and MHRD, and also of international projects concerning Integrated Coastal Zone Management sponsored by the World Bank and the UNDP. He also coordinated the establishment of strategic academic relationships through MoUs between IIT Madras and leading national and multinational institutions (Indian School of Business at Hyderabad; Universities of Mannheim, Passau, and Bremen in Germany; Management Center at Innsbruck in Austria; State University of New York, Binghamton) and business organizations (Caterpillar; LIC of India; @Road Software; SCOPE International). He also served as the Vice-Chancellor of the ICFAI University, Hyderabad, from September 2022 to July 2025.

Assistant Professor, IIT Bombay | View Profile
Dr Ramesh Kuruva is an Assistant Professor at the Desai Sethi School of Entrepreneurship, IIT Bombay, specializing in Entrepreneurial Finance, Startup Ecosystems, and Venture Funding. He holds a PhD in Entrepreneurial Finance from IIT Madras and has been a gold medalist in both his Bachelor's and Master's in Accounting and Finance, earning multiple prestigious government fellowships.

As Co-founder and former CEO of YNOS Venture Engine—a leading IIT Madras-incubated platform connecting startups, investors, and incubators—Ramesh helped raise significant VC funding and expand India’s early-stage ecosystem. At IIT Madras, he played a pivotal role in setting up the Centre for Research on Startups (CREST) and contributed to national VC/PE reports, engaging with government ministries.

With deep experience in venture capital contracts, startup valuation, and mentoring founders, Dr Ramesh is passionate about guiding entrepreneurs, collaborating with incubators, and driving research in VC, finance, innovation, and startup ecosystems.