VARSHITH H. ANILKUMAR

Decoding AI as an Engineer, Author and Entrepreneur

A Rising Star in the world of Artificial Intelligence, the young and dynamic Varshith H. Anilkumar strives to use technology to solve complex problems and empowers others to do the same. He truly believes that, if embraced with pertinent regulations, AI has the potential to transform the world as we know it. After almost a decade in the field, he is now an emerging Global Leader, Author and Entrepreneur. Born in India and based in Germany, he is currently the Cloud Platform Lead at Dryad Networks and Founder at BlockMMP. 

Growing up in the tech hub of Bangalore in India, Varshith’s passion for Applied Physics led him to pursue B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering at the Visvesvaraya Technological University. However, he strongly desired to understand the nature of computing from the physical device perspective to the logical layers that allow us to push technological innovation in various domains, such as artificial intelligence and distributed systems. This motivated him to move to the US to pursue a Master’s in Computer Engineering at Boston University, following which he bagged a job with Wayfair. 

In 2019, he relocated from the company’s office in Boston to Berlin, which opened a multitude of doors for him. In 2023, he joined Dryad Networks where he continues to serve as their Cloud Platform Lead.

For years, Varshith harboured a passion for building partnerships and collaborations between industry and academia. After several entrepreneurial pursuits in different domains, all serving valuable lessons from assessing founder compatibility to understanding market feasibility in the venture capital landscape, a chance meeting at a Hackathon in 2019 led him to successfully build BlockMMP along with his then co-founder Anthony.

BlockMMP is a health tech start-up committed to addressing the opioid crisis by providing a secure prescription tracking software. Initially funded by an NIH grant, the platform has since scaled out to offer end-to-end care and trust for patients suffering from opioid use disorders across the globe. 

Passionate about using tech to improve lives, Varshith is also involved in a project to develop an AI-powered computational platform for cancer research in collaboration with others as well being a thesis advisor from industry for a Master’s thesis in Mathematics at Freie Universitat Berlin. On the other hand, his love for democratizing technical education has led him to mentor Engineering students at Boston University and tech professionals through organizations such as Global AI Hub.

He strongly believes in the importance of a collaborative relationship between technology developers and policymakers to ensure fair, governed, and unbiased technology service offerings. In this regard, Varshith is currently very much involved in the evolving policy around AI. He’s penning the 1st in a series of books that emphasizes the need for end-users to understand AI so that they can actively participate in its design and policy aspects. He’s also working on his Podcast – Spark Your Quark, which will bring in experts to break complex topics into simpler ones and present different perspectives.

Is it really so easy to navigate the ever evolving world of AI, we ask him. Recalling his challenges, he shares, “When I first moved to the US, I struggled with imposter syndrome. But I was surrounded by brilliant people who inspired me to step outside my comfort zone and embrace curiosity, critical thinking, and independent thought. I thus learned to jump in and take action which helped me thrive and face challenges head-on.” 

Full of grit and lateral thinking, Varshith aspires to bring positive change through technological innovation and innovation in policy. His endeavours saw him bestowed with the prestigious 40 under 40 (Europe) award by Business Elite in 2023. 

Ascribing his success in part to others and sharing how he gains inspiration from every person he meets, Varshith narrates a story. “I had a Physics teacher in school – Rajiv. While the world forced you to work hard for a financially stable job, Raju was radical in living his passion. He loved studying Astro-physics and told us stories about different scientists. He also had the ability to break down complex Physics into simple learning. After all these years, this is what I want to do with AI.”

One more thing that Varshith considers crucial to success is a support system – true connections and people who empower you. “I’m happy to have friends and family like that. Recently, I was also fortunate to meet the love of my life Elena Pirogova to whom I am happily engaged now. Being with a person with whom you can be your authentic self gives you an abundance of clarity in life.”

Looking forward to all that the future holds, Varshith shares a piece of advice for youngsters keen on AI: “Take action. Work on projects, make connections, build a network. No one is truly self-made, we need others to succeed. Also, don’t close yourself by being with a homogenous set of people. Diversity of thought is very important. As Walt Whitman said, ‘Be curious, not judgemental’.”