Alumni News
IIT Roorkee Honours IIMB Alumnus Mr. Karthik Reddy with the Distinguished Alumnus Award
Congratulations to Mr. Karthik Reddy (1994 – B.E., Industrial Engineering) on being conferred the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence (2024). A Managing Partner at Blume Venture Advisors, Mumbai, Mr. Reddy has played a pioneering role in shaping India’s early-stage startup ecosystem through visionary leadership and long-term institution building.
An alumnus of IIM Bangalore (PGP 1996) and IIT Roorkee, Mr. Reddy’s entrepreneurial journey reflects a rare blend of strategic insight, market intuition, and deep commitment to founders. At Blume Ventures, he has supported hundreds of startups from seed to scale, helping entrepreneurs navigate uncertainty while building sustainable, high-impact businesses.
This recognition celebrates not only his professional achievements but also the inspiration he offers to aspiring entrepreneurs across academic communities. Mr. Reddy’s journey stands as a powerful example of how thoughtful capital, mentorship, and conviction can drive innovation, resilience, and excellence—bringing pride to both IIT Roorkee and IIM Bangalore.
Distinguished Alumna Samina Bano Takes RightWalk Foundation to a Global Platform with LSE
RightWalk Foundation, founded and led by Samina Bano, Founder & CEO, IIM Bangalore alumna (PGP 2010) and Distinguished Alumna Award (DAA) recipient, continues to exemplify how purpose-driven leadership and technology can create meaningful social impact.
Over the past year, RightWalk has been developing an AI-powered WhatsApp assistant to help low-income citizens navigate public welfare benefits—addressing barriers posed by language-heavy portals and complex processes. This initiative has now received a global academic boost through a collaboration with The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
As part of the 100x Impact Accelerator, RightWalk is partnering with the MSc Data Science programme at LSE’s Department of Statistics. Three MSc students, under the supervision of Professor Christine Yuen, will work closely with the RightWalk team to strengthen the data and AI capabilities of platforms such as CitizenAI and ChaturAI.
The collaboration reflects the power of alumni-led institutions in bridging rigorous global research with grassroots public impact.
Alumnus Spotlight: Prof. Shainesh G Curates Thought Leadership on Business Responsibility
An editorial article in the Journal of Indian Business Research, edited by IIM Bangalore alumnus Prof. Shainesh G, brings timely focus to one of the most pressing questions facing organisations today: how can businesses meaningfully address the ethical, social, and sustainability challenges of the 21st century?
The article, titled “Embracing the atypicals to solve challenges of the 21st century,” examines why even well-intentioned models of shareholderism and stakeholder capitalism often fall short when confronted with short-termism, amoral drift, and structural market pressures. It argues that intention alone is insufficient, and calls for a new strategic framework—described as a “new iron cage”—that systematically centres atypical stakeholders, including economically disadvantaged and socially underrepresented groups.
The piece outlines five strategic shifts spanning empathy-driven design, trust-based capabilities, innovation ecosystems, rigorous externality testing, and stewardship of shared commons. The editorial is open access and reflects a growing body of scholarship advocating inclusive and responsible business practice.
