Sharad Devarajan

Sharad Devarajan has served for over 15 years as a Professor of at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, where he teaches numerous classes on artificial intelligence, media and entrepreneurship. A serial entrepreneur, creator and showrunner, Devarajan has created numerous acclaimed shows, films and graphic novels.

Devarajan’s work is centered on transforming the perception of India from media "outsourcer" to creative "source." A pioneer in cultural "trans-creation," he collaborated with Marvel in 2004 to create "Spider-Man: India," reinventing the iconic hero as Pavitr Prabhakar. In 2023, this character was a breakout feature in the blockbuster film "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," which became Sony’s highest-grossing animated release worldwide and set a milestone as the highest-grossing animated theatrical film ever released in India.

In the Indian entertainment landscape, Devarajan is a dominant force. He is the Co-Creator, Showrunner, and Executive Producer of the acclaimed series "The Legend of Hanuman," regarded as the most successful animated series in Indian history. The show consistently hits #1 on Disney+Hotstar for every season released. Additionally, since 2015, he has worked with filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli to architect the transmedia strategy for the "Baahubali" franchise, producing multiple hit animated series for Amazon Prime Video and Disney+Hotstar.

Devarajan’s portfolio includes high-profile collaborations with legends. He co-created the superhero "Chakra The Invincible" with Stan Lee and previously co-founded Virgin Comics and Animation with Sir Richard Branson. Through his company Liquid Comics, he has developed original content with Hollywood talents such as Guy Ritchie, Wes Craven, and John Woo. His recent comic series, "Shadow Tiger," has achieved over 400 million digital views across India.

Currently, Devarajan is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Toonsutra, India’s leading webtoon platform with 2 million monthly active users, backed by investors including Google’s AI Futures Fund and Sony Innovation Fund. He is an active member of the TED community and the Rolling Stone Culture Council, and his work has been featured by major global media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and CNN.