Murali Kakarla takes over as the new President of TiE Hyderabad for the year 2026

Hyderabad, January 2, 2026: TiE Hyderabad, the global entrepreneurial network, announced Murali Kakarla as the new President and Ravi Chennupati as the Vice President for 2026.

Murali Kakarla, Founder & CEO of Innobox Systems, takes over the reins from Rajesh Pagadala. A visionary entrepreneur and technocrat with close to three decades of experience building and leading engineering teams at AMD, NVIDIA, and PortalPlayer, Murali has expertise in consumer electronics systems, wireless networking, and edge computing. He has contributed to groundbreaking innovations in consumer electronics, holds a patent in optimal power usage, and passionately encourages innovation and entrepreneurship.

Ravi Chennupati, Managing Director, Ezone Security Solutions, is elected Vice President for the year 2026. Ravi Chennupati is an engineer and entrepreneur with over two decades of experience building and scaling organisations across technology, healthcare, and security in India, the United States, and Australia. As Managing Director of Ezone Security and Founder Director of Vigocare, he focuses on sustainable business growth, technology-driven operations, and developing strong execution-oriented leadership teams. He also invests in and mentors early-stage startups, working closely with founders on strategy, systems thinking, and operational clarity

Welcoming Murali Kakarla as the new President of TiE Hyderabad, Rajesh Pagadala said, “Serving as President of TiE Hyderabad over the past year has been a deeply fulfilling journey, strengthened by the collective spirit and commitment of our members, mentors, partners, and volunteers. Together, we expanded our impact, strengthened founder-focused programs, and reinforced a culture of collaboration and purpose within the ecosystem through Hyderabad Entrepreneurship Summit, Hyderabad Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Collective, TiE50, TiE Women and many other programs. As I pass on the baton, I do so with immense confidence — Murali has been a steadfast partner in this journey, deeply aligned with our mission and values. Under his leadership, I am certain TiE Hyderabad will continue to grow stronger and scale its impact for the entrepreneurial community.”

Setting the agenda for TiE Hyderabad in 2026, Murali Kakarla said, “As I take on the role of President of TiE Hyderabad, I am both humbled and energized by the opportunity to build upon the incredible legacy of this chapter. My focus for 2026 is to strengthen TiE Hyderabad as an Entrepreneur-First chapter that delivers meaningful value, deeper mentoring support, and scale-up opportunities through its programs and initiatives. The focus will be on enhancing member delight, fostering stronger collaboration among Charter Members, founders, partners, and ecosystem leaders. TiE Hyderabad will continue to build global relationships and cross-border opportunities, connecting startups to international markets, capital, and networks. The chapter aims to remain one of the most impactful and admired TiE chapters worldwide, creating a culture of contribution, inspiration, and “contagious” energy across the entrepreneurial community.”

The new board comprises Murali Kakarla, Founder & CEO, Innobox as the President; Ravi Chennupati, Managing Director, Ezone Security Solutions as the Vice President, Rajesh Pagadala, Managing Director of Pagadala Constructions as Immediate Past President of TiE Hyderabad.

The other board members for 2026 include Anuj Kapoor – Founder & Partner, Upwisery; Gaurav Mathur – CEO, Credera India; Neetika Maheshwari – Co-Founder, Accelero Corporation; Sridhar Sriramaneni – Co-Founder & COO, Wcommerce; Shashidhar Reddy – Senior Vice President, Qualcomm; Raj Samala – Founder, Revalsys; Ram Yerneni – Founder & CEO, iBaseIT; Ramakrishna C – CEO & Founder, Spoors Technology Solutions India; Sidhartha Mohanty – Founder, Bhrama Kamal; Sri Myneni – Ex-CEO & Co-Founder, Knoah Solutions & knoahsoft.