Karthik Balakrishnan

Karthik builds and leads teams that solve emerging problems which span disciplines and cross borders. He is President and Co-Founder of Actual, a Silicon Valley based company whose decision-support software enables forward-thinking leaders to create comprehensive, concrete plans to turn ESG goals into reality. Actual works with organizations like Giga, a UNICEF and Softbank collaboration, to connect every school to the internet.
Previously, he founded Airbus’ A^3 Altiscope (now called Airbus UTM) to modernize the air traffic control system, working with regulators from the USA, EU, UK, China, Singapore, New Zealand, and other nations. He was also the CTO and co-founder of Coin (acquired by Fitbit), a consumer electronics and fintech company.
He holds a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University.