Nikhil Velpanur

Artist, Change Agent, Entrepreneur, Filmmaker, Idea generator, Photographer, Single, Startup, Technologist, Writer/Editor

Nikhil Velpanur is a versatile professional with a diverse background in founding and leading impactful initiatives. He co-founded the INK conference in association with TED and spearheaded the INK fellows program, selecting and mentoring global fellows. Nikhil's commitment to social causes is evident through his co-founding of a nonprofit for funding bone cancer treatments. With a keen entrepreneurial spirit, he established letshead.to, an online deal site, and published a counterculture magazine, Strange Brew. Nikhil's passion for innovation is reflected in his creation of a machine generating poems from tweets and his contributions to inktalks.com. Currently, he manages partnerships, fundraising, and community engagement for Wadhwani AI, focusing on incubating AI initiatives and investing in deep health tech startups through Garage5B. His work revolves around applying technology for social impact, particularly in public health and agriculture, and advising on the application of Web3 and AI for social impact at scale.

Solving the world's most pressing problems with fresh and radical thinking, making beautiful ideas come to life, and expressing myself fully through all art forms.

Can the world devote (atleast) 10% of its brainstorming time to think of new ways to change lives and decimate problems?

3D printing, AI, Augmented reality, Design, Entrepreneurship, Photography, Poetry, Prototyping, Public and digital infrastructure, Public health, Writing