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Draft:Prashanth Prakash

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Prashanth Prakash
NationalityIndian
Alma materBangalore University
University of Delaware[1]
Occupation(s)Venture Capitalist, entrepreneur
SpouseAmitha Prashanth
AwardsPadma Shri 2025[2]

Prashanth Prakash is an Indian Venture Capitalist, entrepreneur and philanthropist based in Bengaluru.[3][4] He is the founding partner of Accel India.[5][6][7] He received the Padma Shri in 2025 from the Government of India for his contribution to Trade & Industry.[8] He is also the chairman of the Vision Group for Startups for the Government of Karnataka.[9][10]

Career

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In 1995, Prashanth Prakash founded Visual Reality, one of India’s first animation companies. In 1997 he founded NetKraft, an offshore solutions company focusing on retail and healthcare verticals.[11]

Since 2004, he has played a key role as a Venture Capitalist in nurturing Karnataka and India's start-up landscape.[10][12]

In 2008, Prashanth Prakash along with Subrata Mitra and Mahendran Balachandran founded the Indian arm of the US venture capital firm Accel.[13][14]

In 2021, he was appointed as an advisor to the 13th Chief Minister of Karnataka Sri B. S. Yediyurappa.[15][16]

As a partner at Accel, Prashanth Prakash has played a vital role in shaping up renowned Indian startups such as Flipkart, Ola, Freshworks, Bookmyshow, Swiggy & Bounce amongst many others.[17][18][19]

He was one of the jury members of Economic Times Startup Awards.[20][21]

In October 2024, Prashanth Prakash became the joint owner of the Bengaluru franchise team in the second season of the Global e-Cricket Premier League (GEPL).[22]

Philanthropy

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Prashanth Prakash is the chairman of United Way of Bengaluru, Sikshana and UnboxingBLR Foundation. Under these organizations he curates, facilitates, and promotes activities for communities and schools.[23][24][25]

Prashanth has helped Sikshana in expanding their work from 10 to 100 schools.[26][27] He has also collaborated with government schools and anganwadis emphasizing education for girls. His work has influenced 50,000 schools and 3 million people in India.[28]

In 2021, Prashanth Prakash, in collaboration with several venture capitalists, established a 100-crore COVID fund[29] and created ACT Grants to encourage start-ups focused on developing products and services to tackle Pandemic related concerns.[30]

In August 2022, Prashanth Prakash partnered with The Indian Institute of Science to set up a geriatrics wing as part of IISc's upcoming Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital.[31][32] He is also the Founding Patron of the Longevity India initiative in IISc.[33]

Bibliography

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Prashanth Prakash has co-authored a book titled "Unboxing Bengaluru - The City of New Beginnings".[34] It was launched by the 22nd Chief Minister of Karnataka, Sri Siddaramaiah.[35]

Awards & honors

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  • Padma Shri 2025 for contributions in Trade & Industry.[36][8]
  • Social Impact Leader 2021 for his philanthropic work by ASSOCHAM.[37]

Footnotes

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  • "Great IT Peoples, a book by Dr. S. Anandamurugan"[38]
  • "Big Billion Startup: The Untold Flipkart Story"[39]

References

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  1. ^ "Accel's Prashant Prakash appointed as CM's Advisor". Times of India. 5 May 2021.
  2. ^ "VC fund Accel's Prashanth Prakash awarded Padma Shri in trade and industry category". The Economic Times. 26 January 2025.
  3. ^ "From Nikhil Kamath to Prashanth Prakash: Key Highlights from EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2023". Business Today. 2 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Invest in new ideas, not flavour of the season, says Accel's Prashanth Prakash". Mint. 28 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Committee with stakeholders and officials will draw up a roadmap for the Bengaluru in six months: D.K. Shivakumar". The Hindu. 17 June 2023.
  6. ^ "India has the potential to be a global lab for scalable longevity solutions: Accel's Prashanth Prakash | Today News". mint. 25 July 2025.
  7. ^ Bagchi, Shrabonti (10 May 2024). "Prashanth Prakash: Master Mentor". Mint.
  8. ^ a b "Padma Awards 2025" (PDF). www.padmaawards.gov.in. MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS.
  9. ^ "National Startup Advisory Council reconstituted; non-official members nominated". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  10. ^ a b "'Team, practicality of business plan are what we look at, not spreadsheets'". BusinessLine. 10 June 2012.
  11. ^ "Prashanth Prakash: A Pioneering Venture Capitalist Transforming India's Startup Landscape". Bru Times News.
  12. ^ "GenAI, climate & fintech, hot bets for investors next year: Accel's Prakash". Business Standard.
  13. ^ "Accel's India story". Mint. 9 December 2016.
  14. ^ "Manufacturing-focussed startups got $8 billion in investments over 7 years: Prashanth Prakash". The Economic Times. 2023-10-12. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  15. ^ "Accel partner Prashanth Prakash to advise Karnataka CM on strategy, planning". VCCircle.
  16. ^ "Accel's Prashanth Prakash appointed advisor to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddiyurappa". Moneycontrol.
  17. ^ "The Accel effect". www.fortuneindia.com. 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  18. ^ Prakash, Prashanth (2023-12-31). "Innovation, sustainability to fuel transformative phase: Accel's Prashanth Prakash". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  19. ^ "Of 100 Indian unicorns, 25 will go IPO in the next 3-5 years: Accel's Prashanth Prakash". Business Today. 2022-11-16. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  20. ^ "ET Times Startup Awards 2017 Business Photo Prashanth P..." Times Of India.
  21. ^ "The Jury – The Economic Times Startup Awards 2024". Etstartupawards.com.
  22. ^ "Nikhil Kamath, Ankit Nagori and Prashanth Prakash now Bengaluru franchise owners of e-cricket league". The Economic Times. 21 October 2024.
  23. ^ "Board of Directors". United Way Bengaluru.
  24. ^ Callie (2019-01-10). "Accel -Lessons For Social Change". Innovations of the World. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  25. ^ Muyiwa, Joshua (2023-12-08). "Bengaluru is flexing its cultural muscle". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  26. ^ "Philanthropy with Purpose: An Inspiring Vision for India's Future". Thephilanthropist.org. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  27. ^ "Sikshana Foundation | Board Members". sikshana.org.
  28. ^ "Prashanth Prakash honored with 'India CSR Impact Leader Award' - India CSR". 2021-01-18. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  29. ^ "Action Covid-19 Team eyes Rs 500 crore philanthropic fund". The Economic Times. 4 March 2021.
  30. ^ "Accel's Prashanth Prakash: Building A Rs 100 Crore Covid-19 Relief Fund". Forbes India. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  31. ^ "IISc signs agreement with Prashanth Prakash to set up geriatrics wing". Business Standard.
  32. ^ "Venture capitalist Prashanth Prakash signs up with IISc, to fund geriatrics unit at Bagchi hospital". The Economic Times. 2022-08-11.
  33. ^ "IISc launches Longevity India Initiative to support ageing research in India". The Hindu. 18 April 2024.
  34. ^ Jasline, Cheryl (2023-12-02). "'Bengaluru is a city that offers different types of Bengaluru, all coexisting'". The Hindu. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  35. ^ "Karnataka announces 10-day Unboxing Bengaluru Habba festival to showcase best of state capital". The Indian Express. 16 November 2023.
  36. ^ "Padma Awards Winners 2025 Full List". Bru Times News.
  37. ^ "ASSOCHAM honors Prashanth Prakash as Social Impact Leader 2021 - India CSR". 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  38. ^ ANANDAMURUGAN, S. Great It Peoples. Sakthi Publishing House. ISBN 978-93-84725-37-2.
  39. ^ Dalal, Mihir (6 October 2019). Big Billion Startup: The Untold Flipkart Story. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-5290-4155-2.


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