Hyderabad: TiE Hyderabad has appointed Murali Kakarla, founder and CEO of Innobox Systems, as its President for 2026. Ravi Chennupati, Managing Director of Ezone Security Solutions, will serve as Vice President.
A seasoned entrepreneur with nearly three decades of experience, Kakarla succeeds Rajesh Pagadala. During Pagadala’s tenure, TiE Hyderabad scaled its founder-centric initiatives and enhanced its engagement with the broader startup ecosystem.
Murali Kakarla TiE Hyderabad leadership to focus on global access
Kakarla previously held leadership positions at AMD, NVIDIA, and PortalPlayer. He is widely known for his expertise in edge computing, wireless networking, and consumer electronics. Additionally, he holds patents in energy optimisation and consistently advocates for innovation-led entrepreneurship.
Meanwhile, Chennupati brings over 20 years of experience across global markets. He has worked in technology, healthcare, and security sectors in India, the US, and Australia. As founder-director of Vigocare, he is recognised for scaling businesses and mentoring early-stage startups.
Welcoming the new leadership, Pagadala pointed to the success of programs like the Hyderabad Entrepreneurship Summit, TiE50, and TiE Women. He expressed confidence that Kakarla’s leadership would take the chapter to new heights.
Looking ahead, Kakarla said his vision centres on making TiE Hyderabad a stronger “Entrepreneur-First” chapter. To achieve this, he plans to strengthen mentoring, increase member engagement, and improve access to global markets. Furthermore, he stressed the need for close collaboration among charter members, founders, and ecosystem enablers.
The 2026 board comprises Murali Kakarla (President), Ravi Chennupati (Vice President), Rajesh Pagadala (Immediate Past President), along with Anuj Kapoor, Gaurav Mathur, Neetika Maheshwari, Sridhar Sriramaneni, Shashidhar Reddy, Raj Samala, Ram Yerneni, Ramakrishna C, Sidhartha Mohanty, and Myneni.