‘In Delft, I learned how to sell a new technology and how patent law works via business cases’
Text Dayinta Perrier
© Neeli Prasad
For Neeli Prasad, TU Delft was her second home from the age of sixteen. Spending time at the university meant spending time with her father who worked there as a professor of Electrical Engineering which she also went on to study. More than 25 years and four countries later, she has two companies and lives in Silicon Valley but she longs to return to Delft.
Neeli Prasad moved to Delft at the age of sixteen. Her father worked there as a professor at the faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science and she spent a lot of time there. She became friends with her father’s students and effortlessly took notes for them during his lectures. It therefore seemed logical for her to go on to study electrical engineering after leaving school. “Reasoning suits me better than cramming”, explains Prasad. “So this degree was a good fit for me.”
Prasad enjoyed her studies. She passed her modules easily and got a job at a telecom company in Maastricht while she was studying. “I was young, had a well-paid job. So I felt no need to complete my studies”, says Prasad. “It was my boss who pressed me to take the final module in order to gain my degree.” After that, Prasad worked for various telecom companies.
A little piece of Delft in the USA
She still often thought about her time in Delft. “Not only was my technical base there”, says Prasad. “But Delft was also the place where I learned how business works. I learned how to sell a new technology and how patent law works via business cases. These are also skills that I use in my work and when I do, I always think: thank you Delft!” Eventually, T-Mobile offered Prasad a grant for continued education. She chose to do PhD research in Rome – a step which took her back into the world of academia. After Rome, she continued her academic career as an associate professor in Denmark. Her husband whom she had met in the Netherlands moved to the USA for his work and Prasad followed him a couple of years later. She became visiting professor at the International Technological University (ITU) in Silicon Valley and was quickly given a permanent contract. “During one of my lectures, the Head came in and asked if I wanted to stay. Even before I could answer she said: OK, at the end of the lecture, the contract is ready for you”, says Prasad. In Silicon Valley, Prasad set up the Electrical & Computer Engineering degree programme. In doing so, she took inspiration from what she had learned in Delft. “TU Delft is the only university of technology I know where you can also learn about management and that is extremely valuable”, says Prasad. “So I wanted to integrate that in the degree programme here in Silicon Valley too.” And in doing that, she brought a little piece of Delft to the United States.
Alumni help each other
Prasad currently lives and works in Silicon Valley. She and her husband have two data encryption companies. “I used to teach students and now I provide them with work”, says Prasad. She likes to meet up with alumni from Delft. “I really value us seeing each other. We help each other with work or with house-hunting, for example.” She is also a valuable contact for Delft students and alumni who are interested in Silicon Valley. “I try to give them an idea of what life is like here and help them find a job, degree programme or housing.” Prasad still works in Silicon Valley but misses Delft and would like to go back. “That’s another reason why I like to meet up with Delft alumni. They feel like family and it’s lovely to get together and enjoy Dutch snacks and drinks. It makes me feel like I’m back home.”
