Arun Venkatesan

I lead and guide businesses interested in fostering an organizational culture of innovation. I have been directing the development of innovative concepts into tangible entities for over 10 years. I am passionate about product development with focus on user experience, social impact, cost innovation and extreme affordability. But what really excites me is the realization of value for the end user. For some of the US based organizations I work with, I provide on-the-ground support within India to accelerate development of new products, participate in business development activities related to promoting products, and represent them to local partners and funders in the region.

I have spent a couple of decades in the US, in research as well as technical leadership in varied fields like microporous polymers, fuel-cell materials and design, physiological sensors materials before converging on designing innovative, affordable and sustainable products. I have mostly focused on small to medium sized teams / enterprises through the DFM and 'design-through-production' process. A couple of my products that were recently commercialized in the affordable segment are:

  1. Brilliance - an affordable phototherapy solution for neonates and
  2. SmartCane - a knee-above obstacle detection device for the visually impaired.

I have a PhD and Masters in Chemical Engineering from University of Akron, bachelors in Chemical Engineering from National Institute of Technology. I became a certified Project Management Professional in 2011. I also spend my time mentoring upcoming entrepreneurs, guiding SME's through the product development process and participate in various industry panels on innovation.

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