Ram is an MIT graduate, five-time entrepreneur, and former Fortune 100 executive and venture capitalist who has spent 10 years seeking answers to a simple question: Why do so many smart people underachieve? His journey from success to setback and back again has shaped a mission to help smart people everywhere become more successful-not by focusing on how smart they are, but by learning to use what they already have: their intelligence, assets, and resources more effectively.Ram's turning point came when he realized intelligence alone wasn't enough-not for the thousands of smart professionals he's met. That insight led him to identify the Advantage Illusion-the false belief that intelligence alone guarantees success-and to develop the Smartness Assessment and the Achievement Cycle.Ram defines Smartness as the ability to apply one's intelligence and other advantages adaptively to achieve real-world success. It is not a fixed trait but a capability everybody can develop and use at any age. Ram delivers what schools don't teach but the real-world demands-Smartness. His tools have helped over a thousand professionals worldwide achieve greater success.Ram's voice is grounded in lived experience. He has worked at global corporations like Boeing and Lucent, been a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley, and launched startups on multiple continents. He has won, lost, and won again in business and life. MONEY magazine called him "The Comeback Kid." The lessons he shares in his books are hard-earned, deeply personal, and designed to deliver results.He has spoken at MIT, Harvard, Princeton, and over a dozen top-tier alumni organizations including Wharton, Ross, Booth, Kellogg, Dartmouth, and Berkeley. He served as President of the worldwide MIT South Asian Alumni Association and the MIT Club of Princeton. He has been featured in Money, Fortune, CIO, CFO, and other major outlets.He founded The Smartness Institute in Princeton to make Smartness a lifelong capability people can build, use, and grow.His books are the foundation of that mission-practical, straight-talking guides for everybody who is ready to stop underachieving and start achieving more.
