Hyderabad scientist makes it to Forbes list

The Hyderabad-based scientist Praveen Kumar Gorakavi has been selected for the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list of 2019. This comes in recognition of Praveen’s contributions to various fields in science and engineering.

Praveen’s inventions include the ‘perpetual calendar’, which is based on mathematical calculations, ‘ammunition technology’, the ‘bio-ethanol producing catalyst’, and ‘mechanical braille embosser’ among others.

Talking about his selection, the young scientist, who studied Chemical Engineering from Osmania University and dropped out of the Ph.D. programme from the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, said, “I have been very productive in the very competitive field of R&D for a long time now. I have commercialised 28 technologies in 16 years and I guess that is considered decent progress for any individual scientist,” he smiles.

His journey has led him from being a child prodigy to starting the next generation innovative platform — The Phi Factory. “The Phi Factory has already generated $4 million in sales for developing technologies in partnerships with several Fortune 500 companies, government departments, and reputed research institutes,” said Praveen.

At 13 years of age, Praveen devised a calendar for 20,000 years (from 10,000 BC to 10,000 AD). He identified some 27 mathematical equations on which an ideal calendar should be based. Later, he extended this calendar to 40,000 years and even rendered it into the Braille script. This calendar is currently on display at an exhibit at the Singapore Science Centre.

Elaborating on the selection process, he said, “The Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list undergoes a rigorous process. With over 2000 online nominations, the team researches and shortlists 500 semi-finalists. The final 300 are selected after taking into consideration criteria such as the demonstration of leadership, impact, success potential, and the embodiment of an entrepreneurial spirit synonymous with Forbes.”