Samartha Nagabhushanam builds next chapter around AI, startup mentorship and technology ventures

Dr Samartha Raghava Nagabhushanam, a technology entrepreneur and executive, has been more and more involved in the field of artificial intelligence driven businesses and start-up mentorship as part of his newest ventures which have spanned telecommunications, handset improvement and digital technology.

With three decades of experience in Communications and Technology businesses, Nagabhushanam is the founder and CEO of Kyocera Wireless India and previously the head of MindTree's handset business. He is currently involved in several advertising technology companies such as CuberaTech and startup accelerator Ramaiah Evolute, among others.

He co-founded CuberaTech with Daniel Bland, a company that specializes in digital advertising and applying artificial intelligence and data technologies. The company has built products throughout programmatic advertising and attribution and audience discovery. Grant Thornton Bharat in June 2026 signed an advisory agreement with CuberaTech for commercial strategy, artificial intelligence and international expansion.

Nagabhushanam also has ties to not-for-profit startup accelerator, Ramaiah Evolute, that was set up under the Ramaiah ecosystem in Bengaluru. He has mentored and advised early-stage entrepreneurs, provided business advice and introduced them to the startup ecosystem as a co-founder, Chief Strategist and mentor.

He is currently active in the field of electronics and telecommunications, a field in which he has been working since the 1990s. He worked for BPL Telecom, Hughes Software Systems and Sasken Communication Technologies before starting Kyocera Wireless India in 2003.

He was the CEO of the company since its start and remained managing director until 2009. CDMA handsets developed by Kyocera Wireless India at an engineering centre in Bengaluru. The India team grew engineering strength and engaged in handset development for both the domestic and global markets during this time.

In 2009, MindTree bought Kyocera Wireless India and Nagabhushanam became President and CEO of N!Mo, Next in Mobility, MindTree's handset business. The operation was applied to mobile devices that were ready for branding, such as Android smartphones.

Since the dawn of the handset business, he has been an entrepreneur in areas such as device engineering, telecom infrastructure, Web3, advertising technology and digital consumer platforms. These have been Aseema Softnet Technologies, 5BARz India (in which he is the India CEO), Eleos Social, Cirus Foundation and Star Fandom.

Nagabhushanam's involvement with both large scale technology companies and startups has also inspired his fascination with the startup scene in India. He has been engaged in mentoring through Ramaiah Evolute and other mentoring programs to assist the founders to solve problems of product-market fit, technology strategy, business models and scaling.

Lately, his work has taken a greater turn towards AI. CuberaTech has been working on AI-powered advertising and audience intelligence solutions, while his own Star Fandom, which he founded and runs, has made its debut in the fan-engagement technology sector with an AI-driven platform tied to Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar.

In addition to his business engagements, Nagabhushanam has authored and delivered presentations on Entrepreneurship, Emerging Technology, Responsible Artificial Intelligence and Business Leadership. In 2023 he was awarded a Doctor of Letters by Tumkur University for his studies on the leadership styles of Chief Executives of large organisations.

As AI transforms companies in various industries, Nagabhushanam's current portfolio highlights a career evolution from product development for telecom to support and nurture technology-driven businesses, while coaching the next generation of entrepreneurs.