Hari Balakrishnan
Co-founder and CTO, Cambridge Mobile Telematics; Fujitsu professor in EECS, MIT
Bridging Academia and Entrepreneurship
By Amrita Oak
With a career that bridges pioneering research and successful entrepreneurship, Hari Balakrishnan showcases the dynamic potential of academic expertise.
Balakrishnan’s background is deeply rooted in academia. With both parents being physicists and researchers, his path seemed almost predestined. He emphasized the strong influence of his family on his career choices, noting his primary identity as a researcher.
His early interest in computer science led him to IIT Madras, where he first engaged in research. This initial exposure solidified his passion, eventually taking him to UC Berkeley for his PhD. At Berkeley, he made significant contributions to mobile computing and wireless networking, particularly with his work on TCP over wireless, which garnered the ACM dissertation award and laid the foundation for many modern wireless communication standards.
If you look back 100 years, nobody remembers how much money anyone made. They remember the scientists and engineers who made a big impact. If you want to have a legacy, it’s about the impact of the work you do.
Balakrishnan’s entrepreneurial spirit was sparked by practical problems he encountered. One notable project was the “Pothole Patrol,” where he and his team used sensor data from taxis to map road conditions in Boston. This project not only showcased the potential of mobile sensing but also inspired him to explore commercial applications, leading to the founding of Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) in 2010. Today, CMT is a leading telematics provider, leveraging mobile data to enhance road safety globally.
Balakrishnan’s story is a testament to the symbiotic relationship between academia and entrepreneurship, and his work continues to inspire a new generation of researchers and entrepreneurs.
