BITS Pilani Alumni Donate $3 Million To Fuel Innovation And Entrepreneurship Initiatives

BITS Pilani Alumni Anuradha and Prashanth Palakurthi (1978 batch), Sid Mookerji (Batch 1989) and Chaitanya Kalipatnapu (Batch 1998) have each made a generous pledge of one million dollars to the BITS Endowment Fund. Palakurthi’s  current commitment follows their earlier mega donation of one million dollars to establish the Anuradha and Prashanth Palakurthi Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (APPCAIR) in 2018. Sid Mookerji has pledged $1 million and shares a passionate commitment to supporting entrepreneurship.

The continued support from our esteemed BITS Pilani alumni, both past and present, continues to be instrumental in taking the institution towards greater heights of excellence. Among the prevalent previous instances Chaitanya Kalipatnapu also made an unprecedented contribution of $1 million to set up the BITS Endowment Fund, which signifies his palpable determination to improve his alma mater.

Prashanth Palakurthi is a US-based technology entrepreneur, philanthropist and serves as the Chairperson of the Giving back Fund. In 2020 he was awarded the first-ever BITS Ratna award for his exemplary contribution to society, the Institute and its stakeholders. Anuradha, his wife, is the founder of Juju Productions and also serves as the Chairperson of MIT’s Heritage Arts of South Asia. Known for her soul-stirring vocals Anuradha organised the Vax India Now event in 2021 - the world’s first Bollywood-Hollywood Virtual concert. Through their extensive charity work the couple touch countless lives.

The Mookerji Foundation, founded by BITS alumnus Sid Mookerji and his wife, Sophie Mookerji, has pledged one million dollars to support entrepreneurship development initiatives, including growing the PhD DRIVE (Deep-tech Research Innovation and Value Generation Entrepreneurship) programme. Sid Mookerji is recognised as a leader in Retail Innovation and is the Founder and Managing Partner of Silicon Road Ventures, a pioneer in shaping the future of global commerce.

The continued support from the esteemed BITS Pilani alumni continues to be instrumental in taking the institution towards greater heights of excellence. Among the prevalent instances, Chaitanya Kalipatnapu recently made a contribution of $1 million to set up the BITS Endowment Fund.

BITS Pilani aims to through the soon to be launched BITS Endowment Fund engage its esteemed alumni to actively contribute to the development of their alma mater and create lasting legacies similar to those seen in renowned institutions around the world. With 60 glorious years, BITS Pilani continues to maintain its status as one of India's premier institutions, boasting a rich legacy of academic brilliance and innovation brought about by leaders in various fields.