18 JUNE - JULY 2019
DIPIKA PRASAD
O
riginally from Nizamabad, a small town in
Telangana, the daughter of an infantry officer
in the Indian Army has lived in seven different
cities, attended 11 schools and travelled to almost all the
Indian states. By her own admission, she spent more
time outside the classroom as she was a bit of a “misfit
and loner as a child”. She discovered science fiction
when she was about seven — and since then the stories
of Gene Roddenberry and Isaac Asimov became her
whole world. Dipika Prasad states, “I reckon almost all
of my best professional work so far has been inspired
by Star Trek in some way.”
For a long time, the Hyderabad-based professional
wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps and join
the Indian Army. But her goals changed when, at
15, she almost died from cerebral malaria. Prasad
recalls, “It made me realise how short life is and what
it means to die with regret — feeling like I had notdone enough with my life and not made a difference
to this world at all.”
Trained as a biotech engineer and armed with
an executive specialisation in data science, Prasad
discovered that her life’s mission was to unlock the
potential of Indian cities to transform the country
into a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable one.
To achieve that vision she set up Lakeer (2017),
a technology-focused non-profit that works in
collaboration with urban programmes driven by
the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. She has
previously worked on inclusive development issues
across South Asia and East Africa. A prominent
feather in her cap is the setting up of and leading
the Intellecap Innovation Lab (2016-2017) that
aims at using exponential technologies to drive
social change. Prasad has also built and scaled up
India’s first and largest virtual incubation platform,
StartupWave (2012), that was recognised by the
World Economic Forum and the Harvard Kennedy
School as one of the 12 breakthrough ideas shaping
the future of inclusive development on a global level.Biotech engineering, data science and
their applications
In my line of work, I use technology to solve the
social challenges that stem from poverty and the
inequitable access to the opportunities that could
bring one out of it. For instance, 75 per cent of an
Indian’s average income is determined by whom
they are born to, for privilege — ascribed by birth
— not hard work largely tends to determine income.
My academic training has taught me how to untangle
and break down problems into smaller chunks and
identify the right aspects to address, so that what
I create has a far-reaching ripple effect. It has
also taught me how to become comfortable with
staying with a problem for some time, rather than
immediately jumping to solve it. Everyone should
have the basic knowledge about the principles of
data science. This would make you understand
what it will take to find workable solutions...Technology as a tool at the macro level
I started doing my best work when I began
combining my love for science fiction with solving
real-world challenges.B. NIPUN