(Dr.) Chandra S. Velpula

Head-Industrial Relations & Incubation

(Dr.) Chandra S. Velpula is an education management professional with 17+ years of experience across academia, corporate relations, entrepreneurship, strategic partnerships, and consulting. He currently serves as Head – Industry Relations & Incubation at Kaveri University, Hyderabad, where he is the Founding Head – Placements & Incubation, leading initiatives in career development, Building Strategy for University’s, industry engagement, Incubation, and entrepreneurship.

Previously, (Dr.) Velpula served as Founding Head – Corporate Relations & Placements and Head – Business Incubation Centre at IIM Sambalpur. He has also held leadership roles at Mahindra University as Head – Corporate Relations, NALSAR University of Law as Head – Corporate Relations & Career Advisory, and NMIMS Hyderabad in Corporate Relations & Placements, contributing to institutional industry engagement, recruiter networks, brand positioning, and student career outcomes.

An active mentor, entrepreneur, and startup ecosystem advisor, (Dr.) Velpula has mentored 150+ startups and is associated as Co-founder with 10+ ventures, including GAIPP, Kinal, GrowX8, and Entirly, with ecosystem linkages across Hyderabad and London. He has worked with leading investors, EdTech and CRM platforms, and universities across the UK and US, and serves as a mentor to platforms including T-Hub, IIT Bombay E-Cell, AIC RAISE, Startup Odisha, O-Hub, and Startup India. He has also facilitated strategic collaborations with organisations including MSME, Flipkart, and Medicover.

Academically, (Dr.) Velpula holds an MBA from ICFAI, M.A. in Psychology, PG Diploma in Banking & Operations, and ICWA, and is pursuing his Ph.D. in Innovation & Strategy from Centurion University. His research contributions include an internationally published book chapter on Smart Cities and Industry 5.0 and a research paper presented at the 38th ANZAM Conference, Deakin University, Australia.

His core expertise spans Business Strategy, Corporate Relations & Strategic Partnerships, Placement Strategy, Startup Incubation & Acceleration, Innovation Ecosystem Development, Career Development, and Academic–Industry Collaboration.