Draft:Prashanth Irudayaraj

Prashanth Irudayaraj
Born	Mumbai, India
Education	Georgia Institute of Technology (BSc, MSc, MBA)
Occupation(s)	Technologist, Entrepreneur, Author
Known for	Work in AI, Blockchain, Renewable Energy

Prashanth Irudayaraj is an American technologist, entrepreneur, and author known for his work in Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, and renewable energy. He is the founder of several innovative projects and has held significant leadership roles in various technology sectors. His contributions span multiple disciplines, leading to advancements in both theoretical and practical aspects of technology.

Early Life and Education

Prashanth Irudayaraj was born in Mumbai and raised in Mumbai, Dubai, and the United States. He attended St. Mary's Catholic High School in Dubai, where he excelled in Physics and Pure Mathematics. Irudayaraj pursued higher education at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2007. He furthered his education at Georgia Tech, earning a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2015 and a Master of Business Administration from the Scheller College of Business in 2016.

Writing and Thought Leadership

Prashanth Irudayaraj is a prolific author for Rolling Stone India, where he writes extensively about cryptocurrencies and AI. His articles explore the intersection of these technologies and their impact on various industries and society at large. Some of his notable articles include:

• "The Future of Finance is Free, Open, and Permissionless": This article discusses the transformative potential of decentralized finance (DeFi) and its implications for global financial systems..
• "The Wonderful World of Ethereum": Irudayaraj explores the Ethereum ecosystem and its potential to become the base layer of trust on the internet.
• "Crossing the Chasm: U.S. Bitcoin Spot ETFs Usher in a New Era of Crypto Adoption": This piece highlights the significance of Bitcoin ETFs and their role in mainstream cryptocurrency adoption.
• "How Blockchain Is Changing The World": This article examines the impact of distributed ledger technology on various industries and its potential to lower the cost of trust.

AI Research and Influences

Prashanth Irudayaraj was first exposed to AI while leading the Georgia Tech Solar Decathlon engineering team. During this time, he collaborated with the Georgia Tech School of Architecture to deploy a primitive AI algorithm to optimize energy use in the competition house. This experience sparked his interest in artificial intelligence and inspired him to deepen his exploration of AI and cognition, leading to his studies under Ashok Goel at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Early Career

Prashanth Irudayaraj began his career with significant achievements and contributions in various fields of technology.

Georgia Tech Solar Decathlon

As a lead engineer for the [Georgia Tech Solar Decathlon](https://www.solardecathlon.gov/past/2007/team_georgia.html) team in 2007, Irudayaraj played a crucial role in designing and optimizing a solar-powered house. He collaborated with the Georgia Tech School of Architecture to deploy a primitive AI algorithm for energy use optimization. The team placed 6th overall out of 20 teams, including institutions like MIT, marking a significant milestone in his early career. He was also featured on the front page of the Whistle

Prashanth and the 2007 Georgia Tech Solar Decathlon on the Washington DC Mall

Alcoa Building and Construction Systems (2007-2012)

Irudayaraj began his professional career at Alcoa, where he developed energy-efficient products and implemented advanced product lifecycle management systems. During his tenure, he solved a challenging problem in the analysis of composite beams by developing an algorithm using the Newton-Raphson method to efficiently calculate performance characteristics of various beam and loading configurations. He also helped create the Solar Power Division, focusing on building-integrated photovoltaics, in collaboration with Vince Van Son and Eddie Bugg. His work earned him several patents and industry awards.

Georgia Tech Research Institute

Both as a graduate student and a full-time research faculty member, Prashanth Irudayaraj participated in and led several projects at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). Notably, he was part of the U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative, which aimed to reduce the cost of solar power systems.

He also led several humanitarian-focused projects, including the Algae Feed Project, where he was first exposed to the financial problems in Haiti. Upon receiving funding from a Georgia Tech IRAD grant, he & the GTRI team developed a prototype banking solution on Ethereum. Irudayaraj's efforts in these projects demonstrated his commitment to leveraging technology for social good and sustainability.

Prashanth created and led the Algae feed project which used innovative algae agriculture to help women farmers in Haiti

Tesla Motors

Prashanth Irudayaraj joined Tesla Motors as an intern in 2015, where he played a crucial role in improving production control processes and developing predictive decision-making algorithms. During his internship, he used discrete event simulation to discover that the Model S and Model X production cycle times had been increasing beyond what was being used by the planning teams. For this discovery, he was awarded a certificate of recognition by Arturo Esquer, then Director of Production Control.

Irudayaraj returned to Tesla in 2017 to assist with the Model 3 launch. His contributions during this period included enhancing data-driven visibility of production metrics and optimizing inventory processes. Despite his significant impact, he left Tesla within a year to help Matt Luongo and Corbin Pon set up Keep Network (now Threshold network after the merge with Nucypher), marking a pivotal transition from automotive innovation to blockchain technology.

Keep Network and Thesis

In 2017, Prashanth Irudayaraj joined Keep Network as the CEO and Head of R&D, and simultaneousy ran operations for the Thesis venture studio. During his tenure, he collaborated with DLA Piper to structure Simple Agreements for Future Tokens (SAFTs), ensuring a Reg D compliant token sale. Irudayaraj extensively studied threshold cryptography alongside the technical team and utilized agent-based modeling to simulate the tokenomics.

He played a key role in expanding the company from a small team to a substantial organization. Additionally, he led efforts to develop privacy-focused infrastructure for public blockchains, enhancing security and scalability in decentralized finance.

ZebPay and Insaanity

In 2020, Prashanth Irudayaraj joined ZebPay as the Vice President of R&D, where he established an innovation lab that delivered cutting-edge blockchain projects.

World's First Women-Only DAO

Notably, he led the creation of the world's first female-led decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) in India. This initiative aimed to empower women at Zebpay influence leadership decisions, and explored the use of DAO's in a corporate setting.

SolarBTC Initiative

At ZebPay, Prashanth spearheaded the SolarBTC initiative, which aims to empower rural Indian women by harnessing solar energy for Bitcoin mining. This project provides financial freedom and economic growth opportunities for women in rural areas by setting up solar-powered Bitcoin mining operations. The initiative collaborates with NGOs to install solar panels and mining equipment, enabling women to generate a sustainable income through Bitcoin mining. This project exemplifies Prashanth's commitment to using technology for social impact and sustainable development.

Insaanity (2023-2024)

In 2023, Prashanth Irudayaraj became the CEO and Chief Scientist at Insaanity, a company focused on creating an interoperability layer for public blockchains. The new protocol developed at Insaanity improved on Keep Network and Threshold Network by using novel cryptography developed by the Insaanity team and Dr. Sharmila Selvi. It also addressed scalability issues in the trustless mint and burn of wrapped Bitcoin products such as tBTC, enhancing the efficiency and security of these processes.

Techno-Optimism and Star Trek

Prashanth Irudayaraj has always been inspired by the science fiction series Star Trek, particularly its portrayal of a utopian civilization achieved through science and technology. He was fascinated by the idea that Star Trek's society operated without money, with people working out of ideals beyond monetary reward. This concept significantly influenced his interest in blockchain and cryptocurrency, driving his desire to develop technologies that could lead to a more equitable and abundant society. Irudayaraj's techno-optimism is reflected in his efforts to leverage advanced technologies for social good and sustainability.