Bhargav Sri Prakash

Bhargav Sri Prakash
Born Bhargav Sri Prakash
Chennai, India
Residence Palo Alto, California, US
Alma mater University of Michigan
College of Engineering, Guindy
Occupation Entrepreneur
Hedge fund Manager
Investment Management
Engineer
Executive
Social entrepreneur
Philanthropy
Board member of FriendsLearn, Inc
Nirmana Investments
Shilpa Architects
Relatives Sheila Sri Prakash (mother)

Bhargav Sri Prakash (born 20 April 1977) is an entrepreneur and engineer of Indian origin[1][2][3][4] who is based in Silicon Valley.[5][6][7][8] He is a former professional Tennis player[9] and junior national champion from India.[10][11][12][13]

He is the Founding CEO and the Chief of Product at FriendsLearn,[14] which has offices in Palo Alto California, as well as in Chennai in India and is focused on creating a health and wellness platform to address global health issues.[15] He is the product leader behind fooya!, the crowd-funded[16] health and fitness game[17][18] as an entertaining way to improve health. He is the inventor and pioneer of learnification,[19] as a design methodology that taps in to the inherent educational value of entertainment, especially games.[20][21][22] Fooya is a mobile App that harnesses immersive mobile gaming technologies to deliver a behavior design platform aimed at addressing an awareness, as well as a behavior gap, among children and young adults, as it relates to nutritional health and dietary-lifestyle choices. Fooya is the product of innovations in learnified virtual reality based immersive entertainment. It is increasingly being recognized as a breakthrough in behavioral medicine,[23] that can potentially address the growing epidemic of childhood obesity and lifestyle diseases around the world, by delivering a personalized method to invoke self-efficacy, while creating a scalable regulation mechanism for the consumption of food agents.

Biography

Early life

Bhargav Sri Prakash Former Indian Junior Tennis Champion (1991, Sportstar: published by The Hindu), Chennai, India)

Bhargav Sri Prakash was born in Chennai, India.[24][25] He is the son of architect, urban designer and Artist Sheila Sri Prakash and M. V. Sri Prakash.[26] He was the top ranked junior Tennis player in the nation in the early 1990s.[27][28] He also played in international tournaments representing India and had a career best International Tennis Federation world ranking of 761.[29] He enrolled in the Birla Institute of Technology and Science but dropped out in his first semester and returned to Chennai because "the tennis courts on campus at BITS were tarred and the net appeared to be a hammock",[30] as he described in an interview. He gained an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the prestigious College of Engineering, Guindy[31] and went on to attend graduate school on a research fellowship at the University of Michigan[32] in Ann Arbor and graduated with a Master's degree in Automotive Engineering.[33][34]

Career

He started his first company, CADcorporation, when he was enrolled as a graduate student at the University of Michigan[7] to commercialise his graduate research in math-based simulations for design optimisation of automotive powertrain systems.[35] After selling CADcorporation, he founded Vmerse in 2005, which was the first to market[36] with a gamified 3D simulation platform for college recruiting and alumni relations.[37] He sold Vmerse in 2009. In 2008 he started an investment fund and asset management company – Nirmana Investments – and served as a managing director,[38][39] He was invited to speak at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University about his plans for an investment fund focused on emerging markets in 2007.[40]

Based on his experience with Vmerse, he was invited to serve as a Fellow of the Kauffman Foundation to analyse and build scalable technology solutions that tackle global issues, which is when he founded FriendsLearn.[41] The United States Department of State awarded FriendsLearn a contract to develop the world's first gamified digital application to attract international students to American educational institutions[42] based on his track-record with Vmerse.[43] He draws inspiration for his entrepreneurial ventures from his life experiences as a professional tennis player and the value system instilled during his formative years of training as a professional athlete.[44]

Invited speaker

He was invited to give an Oral Ignite Talk at the 2015 MedicineX Conference at the Stanford University School of Medicine following peer review, about the breakthrough approach to "Neuropsychology based Behavior Design through Mobile Gaming"[45] and presented clinical research measuring changes in dietary behavior, as a result of a clinical trial involving "fooya!" among children during the ExxonMobil Summer Science Camp.[46] He was a speaker at the 2015 Pioneer Summit organized by GSV Capital, to talk about "The future of Behavioral Medicine through Entertainment"[47][48]

He was invited to speak at the 2014 Energizing Health Conference organized by the Kauffman Foundation and Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City,[49] about best practices in healthcare, as it specifically relates to interactions between the innovation eco-system and established healthcare organizations. During the session "Collaborations: the good, the bad and the ugly",[50] he offered insights based on his depth of entrepreneurial and investment experience across various industries and said, "When it comes to addressing cultural differences, the number one thing I – as an entrepreneur – would like to see is more focus on alignment of incentives. If there is a model that can work that way, we'll see innovation coming to the marketplace much faster – with everybody having the same priorities."

He was invited to speak at the Stanford School of Medicine's MedicineX Conference in 2014 and presented a session titled "Scalable Behavior Design through Mobile Gaming",[51] which was a case study of fooya and lessons learned from digital health gaming. The impact of Fooya was measured through a study by Scientists at the Baylor College of Medicine's Children's Nutrition Research Center, to evaluate and quantify the impact of fooya on 6th grade students. The session focused on scientifically validated mobile content platforms as possible solutions for global health issues.

He was invited to speak at the Bloomberg Next Big Thing event in Half Moon Bay, California about the future of health gaming and was also an invited panelist at a Health 2.0 event in Silicon Valley about the use of gaming technology and learnification, as an awareness building and behaviour modification solution to global health issues.[52] He was invited to speak at Designing Games for Learning by Silicon Vikings[53] and announced fooya at DEMO 2012.[54]

Philanthropy

He serves on the Board of the Shilpa Foundation and has initiated impact focused initiatives in the areas of Health and Sustainability, along with Shilpa Architects's corporate social responsibility initiatives, through the Reciprocity Wave[55][56] series of events organized in India.

Patents

Bhargav Sri Prakash holds three patents for inventions in Automotive Systems and in Virtual Reality Simulations.[57][58][59]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bhupathi Reddy (30 August 2015). "Top 10 Entrepreneurs of India". EntrepreneurSolutions.com.
  2. ↑ Srikar Muthyala (29 September 2015). "The List of Great Entrepreneurs of India in 2015". MyBTechLife.
  3. ↑ D. Nyanesh (12 December 2015). "Top Discoveries and Inventions in India".
  4. ↑ Lothar Möbius. "Bhargav Sri Prakash". Haultenraum.
  5. ↑ Cromwell Schubarth (31 May 2013). "FriendsLearn Shows Food Fights can be Educational". Silicon Valley American City Business Journals.
  6. ↑ Dean Takahashi (20 April 2012). "FriendsLearn teaches you through social and mobile games". Venturebeat.
  7. 1 2 Jason Kelly. "Executive Profile". Bloomberg News.
  8. ↑ Udhav Naig (3 March 2013). "Play and Learn". The Hindu.
  9. ↑ "Sri Prakash, Bhargav (Player Profile)". International Tennis Federation. 1992.
  10. ↑ "Top Male Tennis Players of India". Times of India.
  11. ↑ "Tennis in India and a list of Champions through History". This is My India. December 2011.
  12. ↑ "Indian Tennis Players". History Illustrated Magazine. March 2013.
  13. ↑ Histropedia (1991). "National Tennis Champions from India". Histropedia.
  14. ↑ Victor Rivero (6 February 2012). "You and Your FriendsLearn". EdTech Digest.
  15. ↑ Alexander Welz (24 April 2013). "Fooya". Health Tech Vision.
  16. ↑ Dean Takahashi (17 March 2013). "FriendsLearn wrapping up it's Kickstarter with Push in to India". Venturebeat.
  17. ↑ "Feeding Health Tips through Gaming". The Hindu Business Line. 28 August 2013.
  18. ↑ Alex Linda (22 March 2013). "Fooya the crowdfunded game from India to teach healthy eating". Gamification.co.
  19. ↑ Democonf (12 April 2012). "fooya launch at DEMO 2012". DEMO.
  20. ↑ Julie Blaustein (21 March 2012). "Ignition West 2012".
  21. ↑ IDG (20 April 2012). "DEMO Spring 2012". Reuters.
  22. ↑ Christina Farr (21 April 2012). "Game dynamics to tackle obesity". The Next Web.
  23. ↑ "The future of Medicine through Entertainment". Incredible Health Tips. 10 October 2015.
  24. ↑ Divya Bharathi (3 June 2014). "Great Personalities Born in Chennai". Chennai Blogspot.
  25. ↑ "Pride of Chennai - A list of people that make Chennai proud". Itz Chennai. January 2012.
  26. ↑ "Shilpa Architects – Leadership Team". Shilpa Architects.
  27. ↑ Entrepreneur Talks (April 2015). "Learning and fun together". The Entrepreneur Talks.
  28. ↑ "Top Male Tennis Players of India". Times of India.
  29. ↑ "Sri Prakash, Bhargav (Player Profile)". International Tennis Federation. 1992.
  30. ↑ "A Journey for Health". Dina Thanthi. 28 August 2013.
  31. ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/play-and-learn/article4500838.ece
  32. ↑ "Fooya". University of Michigan Ann Arbor. 19 February 2013.
  33. ↑ UM CFE (13 August 2015). "Learn to become comfortable with the uncomfortable". University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship.
  34. ↑ "Michigan Entrepreneurs Design Innovative Facebook Game". The Michigan Daily. 19 February 2013.
  35. ↑ "From Idea to IPO in 14 Weeks" (PDF). University of Michigan Business School, Dividend. Fall 2000.
  36. ↑ Ted Spencer (10 March 2008). "Vmerse". University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
  37. ↑ "Center for Educational Outreach Conference Agenda". Center for Educational Outreach at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. 2009.
  38. ↑ Chandra Ranganathan & Hemamalini Venkatraman (23 April 2009). "Nirmana Raises $30 Million". The Economic Times.
  39. ↑ "Bloomber Profile". Bloomberg.
  40. ↑ "Real Estate Investment Panelists at 2007 India Business Conference at the Kellogg School of Management". Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. March 2007.
  41. ↑ "Kauffman Foundation Education Ventures Fellows".
  42. ↑ Martin Bennett (1 March 2012). "Your 5 Steps to US Study Facebook App Launched". Institute for International Education at the US Department of State.
  43. ↑ Chia Hui Lin, Elizabeth Bartmess, Jonathan Ponder, Seok Jin Lee (Winter 2008). "Usability Study of Vmerse" (PDF).
  44. ↑ "About the Fellows of the Kauffman Foundation's Education Ventures Initiative". Kauffman Foundation.
  45. ↑ Online Abstract: 2015 MedicineX (27 September 2015). "Neuropsychology based Behavior Design through Mobile Gaming". Stanford School of Medicine.
  46. ↑ Akhil Mani (28 September 2015). "Mobile Video Game Influences Children to Choose Healthier Food".
  47. ↑ GSV Labs (7 October 2015). "The future of Medicine through Entertainment". Pioneer Summit.
  48. ↑ Jeff Lettes (8 October 2015). "FriendsLearn CEO Bhargav Sri Prakash Speaks About the Future of Medicine Through Entertainment at the GSV Pioneer Summit in Silicon Valley". PR Web.
  49. ↑ "Agenda of the 2014 Energizing Health Series Event in Kansas City" (PDF). Kauffman Foundation.
  50. ↑ Dan Emerson (10 November 2014). "Collaborations: the good, the bad and the ugly". Entrepreneurship.org.
  51. ↑ "Scalable Behavior Design through Mobile Gaming". Stanford. September 2014.
  52. ↑ Akhsar Kharebov. "Health Games Interactive Panel". Health 2.0.
  53. ↑ Dr. Michael Carter (25 April 2013). "Designing Games for Learning". Silicon Vikings.
  54. ↑ "FriendsLearn Launches facebook food fight". Yahoo Finance. 19 April 2012.
  55. ↑ Padma (March 2013). "Reciprocity Wave Showcases Fresh Ideas on Health Issues". Sulekha.com.
  56. ↑ Nandhini Sundar (2 October 2013). "Being the Change". The Hindu.
  57. ↑ Bhargav Sri Prakash (23 December 2004). "Pedal position rate-based electronic throttle progression". US Patent Office.
  58. ↑ Bhargav Sri Prakash (3 March 2006). "System and Method for Using Virtual Reality Environments". US Patent Office.
  59. ↑ Bhargav Sri Prakash (2000). "An Electromagnetic Collision Avoidance System". Intellectual Property Rights Association of India.

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