Prahasith Veluvolu

Meet your new inspiration Prahasith Veluvolu, this guy’s the real deal in tech and education. So, he’s a YC S15 alum, which already puts him in the startup hall of fame, right? But what’s super interesting is his process, dude’s been crushing it from the jump.

It all started back in college at Purdue. Prahasith was a CS student, but not just chilling, he jumped into building stuff that actually matters. He founded Mimir in 2014, right around the time he was still in school. The crazy part? He dropped out to go all-in on his startup after they got some early wins and got into Y Combinator’s Summer batch of 2015. That’s no small feat, YC is basically the Olympics of startups.

Mimir was all about fixing one of the biggest pain points in computer science education, grading and feedback. Imagine a platform that automates grading for STEM courses and helps students learn faster. Over 70 universities jumped on board with Mimir’s flagship product, Mimir Classroom, which helped scale CS programs big time. Prahasith built something that actually changed how universities teach tech, no bullshit.

Fast forward, in 2019, HackerRank saw the possible and scooped up Mimir. Prahasith didn’t just cash out, he stayed on for four years, working in product leadership, building new stuff, and scaling teams. That shows he’s not just a founder, he’s a builder, a leader, someone who’s in it for the long haul.

But his story isn’t just about startups. He’s been involved with all sorts of initiatives, The Anvil at Purdue, Mimir HQ, Valens Health, In0v8, and Time Compression Strategies. Basically, he’s all about empowering communities and pushing tech forward.

Outside the tech world, Prahasith’s got a pretty diverse background, he played Big 10 rugby, was a junior Olympic fencing qualifier, and he’s into cooking, traveling, gaming. The guy’s got layers, he’s competitive, creative, and passionate about everything he does.

What does all this say about him? Honestly, Prahasith’s process is about hustle, vision, and that pure drive to fix problems that matter. He saw a problem in education, the grading chaos, and turned it into a expandable platform that’s changing how students learn. Dropping out of college to chase that dream? That’s bold. Staying committed even after selling? That’s advanced.

So yeah, Prahasith isn’t just some startup guy. He’s a builder who jumps into problems headfirst, crushes them, and then keeps pushing. That’s why he’s important, he’s proof that with enough passion and grit, you can actually make a dent in the world. No Cap.