Praveen Mokkapati steers the AI charter at nasscom, India’s apex body for the $250+ billion technology industry, playing a pivotal role in accelerating the country’s AI-led transformation. At the forefront of policy, innovation, and ecosystem development, Praveen leads state-level engagements with governments of Telangana, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and others to drive AI missions and public-sector AI adoption across diverse domains—ranging from law enforcement to healthcare, forest departments, MSMEs, and urban governance. As the driving force behind the nasscom Generative AI Foundry, he scales impact across a growing cohort of 140+ AI startups and 60+ GenAI innovators, fostering deep collaboration with enterprises, VCs, and ecosystem enablers. His efforts have resulted in powerful public-private partnerships and access to GPU infrastructure through strategic collaborations with AIRAWAT Param Siddhi AI, Google Cloud, E2E Networks, Yotta, and more. With close to two decades of cross-functional experience across India, the US, and Southeast Asia, Praveen brings a rare blend of industry, research, and venture capital perspectives. He has co-founded and scaled two subsidiaries of a German tech MNC, generating $3M+ ARR and creating over 70 jobs. As a former VC, he backed 25+ startups in health-tech, media-tech, and urban-tech, and advised corporate innovation programs for YES Bank, Qualcomm, HCG, and others. Previously, he led a technology research center at the Indian School of Business (ISB), managing multi-million-dollar, multi-stakeholder engagements. His grassroots impact includes orchestrating a digital capacity-building effort that reached over 2 million rural citizens. Praveen is also an Honorary Ambassador for the German-India Startup Exchange Program (GINSEP) and the Toronto Business Development Centre (TBDC) and is a frequent voice at global innovation forums and media platforms.