Page 39 - DAIS - DAISPORA ISSUE04

Alumni Trivia

CURRENTLY HIDDEN BUCKET
READING : TALENT : LIST :

Coherence by Alan Falling asleep within 15 A safari in Botswana
Watkins seconds flat, no matter and a Gorilla Walk in
the stress levels Rwanda.

Educational Experiences In 2017, he made the decision to return to India and
Pranav’s journey began with a natural curiosity for has since embraced several key roles:
computers, games, and sports—anything that - Data Science Lead at PaySense: Pranav helped
allowed him to avoid the classroom and, if possible, scale the startup by guiding customer
acquisition strategies and assessing credit
school altogether. While his passion for learning risks, a journey that culminated in PaySense’s
wasn’t immediate, it eventually became the driving acquisition by PayU.
force behind his career. Looking back, he holds his - Solutions Manager at Wadhwani AI: Pranav
time at DAIS in high regard—not just for the oversaw a couple of key initiatives at WAI under
academic experiences, but for the invaluable the aegis of two billionaire founders, Sunil and
network and lifelong friendships it provided. Romesh Wadhwani. The organization focused
The true turning point came midway through his on AI projects with significant societal impact,
engineering degree at the University of Illinois from healthcare to agriculture in India.
Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). What initially felt like a Fast forward to four years ago, Pranav co-founded
FYNDNA. Together with his team, he’s been
dreaded challenge—solving complex building cutting-edge retail core banking solutions
problems—soon turned into a profound love for the from the ground up. By integrating a highly
process itself. This shift led him to pursue a configurable modular architecture with security
Master’s in Computer Science at Georgia Tech, and performance baked in, FYNDNA not only
where he worked in two university labs, and even streamlines banking operations but also enhances
received an offer to pursue a PhD in Visual financial inclusion, enabling institutions of all sizes
Analytics. For Pranav, the mantra is simple: in the to better serve their communities. The work they’re
world of tech, learning never stops, and to remain doing doesn’t just redefine banking technology; it
creates opportunities for countless people to
relevant, you must embrace the constant pursuit of access better financial services.
knowledge. This mindset also explains his wide
Pranav graduated from DAIS in 2007 and range of roles across various domains throughout
his career.
is currently a Co-Founder & Promoter at A message to fellow alumni and current students
Learn to adapt when things don’t go as planned.
PRANAV FYNDNA, a company setup to build the Professional Experiences It’s a skill rarely taught but immensely valuable in
navigating life’s ups and downs. While ambition
Like many of his peers, Pranav initially viewed
next-generation of Core Banking
and competitiveness drive progress, expecting
studying abroad as a gateway to a career and life in
RAM solutions. The platform, which he proudly the US. After nearly a decade in the States, working perfection can lead to disillusionment. Embrace
failure, pick yourself up, and chart a new course.
in core engineering roles including in the Bay Area,
claims is the “most amazing thing ever
And, for those looking for more guidance—Pranav
he began to notice a shift in how cutting-edge tech
created,” offers financial institutions products were being made in India for the global suggests you follow Instagram reels made by
twenty-somethings, since, apparently, that’s where
Class of 2007 unparalleled agility, flexibility, scalability, market. That resonated with him, a nice bonus everyone seems to be getting their advice these
would be getting to have his mother’s South Indian
and configurability—he may have run out food – because his newfound passion for learning days.
unfortunately didn’t extend to the kitchen.
of “-ilities,” but you get the idea.