About

Prasad Akella is a highly accomplished entrepreneur and innovator with over 31 years of experience in creating and commercializing deeply technical frontline technologies. He has a broad range of expertise that spans software, robotics, manufacturing, IIoT, and automotive industries. Prasad has a functional background in product and marketing and has run teams in the US, India, Japan, Germany, Russia, Belgium, and the UK. Prasad has created two massive market categories in his career. First, in the 90s, while at General Motors, he led the creation of intelligent assist devices, including "cobots," which are the fastest-growing segment in robotics today and projected to be a $12+ billion business in 2027. Second, as co-founder of the business social networking pioneer Spoke, he helped envision and build the first massive business social graph, which is worth trillions today. Currently, Prasad is the Founder & Board Chair, Founding CEO at Drishti, a company that has a new vision for manufacturing. Drishti's "AI-powered production" is the 4th era of manufacturing and follows craft production, mass production, and lean manufacturing/Toyota Production System. Prasad is targeting a third category creation with Drishti by asking "What happens if you combine the cognition of AI with the flexibility of humans?" There is $2.2T in US GDP alone, including 25 large global manufacturers working with Drishti, that are interested in the answer. Prasad is an elected Fellow of the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and of the SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers). He has received numerous recognitions and awards for his contributions to robotics, manufacturing, computer vision, AI, and social networks. Prasad holds a Ph.D. in Robotics/Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, an MBA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a BS in Aerospace Engineering from IIT. Prasad is a visionary leader who is passionate about creating new market categories and empowering people at work. He is a research scientist with expertise in AI, computer vision, and web technologies. Prasad is also an advisor and acting CMO at OpsRamp and was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at SRI International, where he created Drishti.