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About Dr. Bala Ramadurai
Dr. Bala Ramadurai is a multi-faceted professional—entrepreneur, professor, author, innovation coach, and podcaster—who blends academic depth with hands-on industry experience. As the CEO and Co-founder of Spirelia, he leads the development of AI-powered tools that simplify and accelerate innovation, helping companies bridge the gap between ideas, IP, and implementation.
With over 15 years of global experience, Dr. Ramadurai has worked with top-tier organizations such as GE, Mercedes-Benz, Samsung, Salesforce, Forvia, and DRDO, bringing transformative approaches to innovation, intrapreneurship, and technology forecasting. He holds a PhD from Arizona State University, a B.Tech from IIT Madras, and was a Marie Curie Research Fellow at Politecnico di Milano. He has taught over 110,000 students through institutions like IIT Madras, IIM Kozhikode, NPTEL, Universidad Panamericana (Mexico), and SIBM Pune.
Dr. Ramadurai is the author of four books including /Karmic Design Thinking/—a Buddhism-inspired approach to human-centered innovation—and a handbook on technology forecasting. He holds 3 US patents from his time at GE. He co-hosts four podcasts and speaks at tech conferences including EmacsConf 2025. Outside work, he is a birder, amateur astronomer, and passionate traveler (22 countries). He speaks English, Hindi, Tamil, and Sanskrit, with working knowledge of French, Spanish, and Italian.
Detailed Bio
Dr. Bala Ramadurai is a versatile professional, serving as an entrepreneur, professor, author, coach, and podcaster. He is the CEO and Co-founder of Spirelia, a startup dedicated to helping companies innovate with confidence. With over 15 years of experience, he brings a rich background in research, innovation facilitation, coaching, and writing.
His expertise spans:
- Design Thinking
- Creative Problem Solving
- Systematic Innovation
- Technology Forecasting
- Intrapreneurship
Education
- PhD, Arizona State University, USA
- B.Tech in Metallurgical Engineering, IIT Madras, India
- Diploma in Multi-user Programming, Computer Point, Madras
- Former Marie Curie Research Fellow at Politecnico di Milano (EU FORMAT project)
Industrial Experience
- FORMAT Project, Milan – researcher, handbook designer
- General Electric Global Research – Research Scientist
- MindTree Ltd – Senior Manager, Innovation (5*50 intrapreneurship program, KM Reality Award 2011)
- Infosys – Open Systems Engineer
Teaching Experience
Courses taught at:
- Universidad Panamericana (Mexico) – International Visiting Professor
- IIT Madras – Adjunct Professor, NPTEL Professor
- IIM Kozhikode – Design Thinking and Innovation in Entrepreneurship (2025)
- SIBM Pune – Adjunct Professor, Board of Studies Member
- Universiti Teknologi Mara (Malaysia)
- Others: IIT Gandhinagar, IISc Bangalore, DY Patil University, National Institute of Engineering Mysuru, etc.
Over 110,000+ students in Design Thinking, 5,000+ in Technology Forecasting. Recent highlights: Entrepreneurship Bootcamp in Bhutan (2025), Tech Forecasting Masterclass for DRDO (2025).
Clients
Worked with:
- Mercedes Benz R&D India
- Daimler Trucks India
- Maruti Suzuki India
- Mahindra Research Valley
- Samsung Mobile
- Flipkart
- GE India Technology Center
- Applied Materials
- Forvia (formerly Faurecia) – France & India
- Mindtree
- Tata Teleservices
- Salesforce (Worldwide)
- Pidilite Industries
- Hero Motocorp
- L&T Power Systems
- Hilti Manufacturing India
- Godrej Properties
- Ion Exchange
- DRDO Labs (LRDE, ADE)
- Institute of Technology Management, Mussoorie
Clients appreciate his practical, engaging facilitation style and conceptual clarity.
In case you haven't found the answer for your question please feel free to contact Dr. Bala Ramadurai by clicking the contact form or dropping a line at bala@balaramadurai.net.
Authorship and Publications
4 Books:
- Karmic Design Thinking – Buddhism-inspired human-centered innovation method
- FORecasting and Roadmapping of MAnufacturing Technologies – co-author (EU FORMAT project)
- Creating Original Earthy eXciting and Inspiring STories (COEXIST) – co-author
- Blue Island – children's book
10+ international journal publications in materials science, non-destructive evaluation, and innovation.
Patents
- US Patent 7,670,679: Core-shell ceramic particulate
- US Patent App. 12/409,581: Damage inspection method
- US Patent App. 11/695,207: Material property anomaly detection
Podcasts
- Books and Stuff Podcast with Krishna
- Podcast Enterprise with Parvathi Ramkumar – Star Trek: TOS analysis (Spotify Best Podcast Award 2022)
- Remember the Cant with Parvathi and Sumit – The Expanse analysis
- Thirukkural A Day – Tamil classical wisdom
Conference Talks
- EmacsConf 2025: org-gmail: When Gmail Finally Met Org Mode
- EmacsConf 2022: How to incorporate handwritten notes into Emacs Org Mode
- EmacsConf 2021: Finding your (in)voice
Interests and Activities
- Novelist (2 full-length manuscripts) and screenwriter
- Blogger and Indian classical composer (keyboard, flute)
- Birder and amateur astronomer
- Passionate traveler (22 countries, 32 US states, 20 Indian states)
- Languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Sanskrit (fluent); French, Spanish, Italian (elementary)
About the Author
Dr. Bala Ramadurai
Author, Prof & Consultant
Dr. Bala Ramadurai is an author, professor and consultant. He has authored a book on Design Thinking called Karmic Design Thinking. He has 3 patents to his credit and 10+ publications in international research journals. He co-founded TRIZ Innovation India and is an Adjunct Professor at Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, India. He is a professor at National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning. About me
