Dr. Bala Ramadurai is a multi-faceted professional—entrepreneur, professor, author, innovation coach, and podcaster—who blends academic depth with hands-on industry experience. As the CEO and Co-founder of Spirelia, he leads the development of AI-powered tools that simplify and accelerate innovation, helping companies bridge the gap between ideas, IP, and implementation.

With over 15 years of global experience, Dr. Ramadurai has worked with top-tier organizations such as GE, Mercedes-Benz, Samsung, and Mindtree, bringing transformative approaches to innovation and intrapreneurship. He holds a PhD from Arizona State University and a B.Tech from IIT Madras, and has taught over 100,000 students through institutions like IIT Madras, NPTEL, Universidad Panamericana (Mexico), and SIBM Pune.

Dr. Ramadurai is the author of Karmic Design Thinking, co-author of a handbook on technology forecasting, and holds multiple patents from his time at GE. He’s also a co-host of four podcasts. Outside work, he is a birder, traveler, and amateur astronomer.

Connect with Dr. Bala if you want to talk about design thinking, tech forecasting, or geek out over innovation, sci-fi, or Tamil classics.

Prathap Haridoss is currently the Dean (Academic Courses) and a Professor in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at IIT Madras. He did his B.Tech in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT Madras and got his Ph. D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. He worked as a Senior Scientist in Plug Power New York, before joining IIT Madras as a Faculty. His research interests include Fuel Cell and Carbon Nanomaterials. Prathap Haridoss was also one of the coordinators of NPTEL (National Program on Technology Enhanced Learning) and the IIT Madras B.S. Degree Program.