Going Home where You Belong

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My NoSmalltalk session with Prasanna Akella

by Albert Schiller

Standard career trajectories often bend towards the perceived epicenters of opportunity. For an Indian graduate with a US education, especially during the 2009-2010 global recession, the "logical" step seemed to be securing a foothold in the West. Prasanna Akella, now charting a distinct path in preventative healthcare with Belong, made a decision that cut sharply against this grain: he returned to India. This was no retreat, but an early, decisive act of analytical courage, revealing a mind that prioritizes fundamental alignment over conventional wisdom – a core characteristic now shaping his entrepreneurial ventures.

The "Force Fit": Recognizing Misalignment in a Crisis

Armed with a specialized US degree in supply chain, operations, and applied mathematics, Akella faced a post-recession American job market offering predominantly generic roles. For his specific domain, it felt like a "force fit." He saw peers, driven by circumstance, funneled into careers that were a "massive disconnect" from their core competencies. This wasn't merely about limited options; it was about a fundamental mismatch between his capabilities and the available professional landscape.

The cultural pressure to remain in the US was significant – a silent yet potent expectation. Yet, Akella, unconstrained by immediate financial imperatives that often dictate such choices, engaged in a different kind of calculus. His analysis? India offered "a little bit more interesting roles" that genuinely resonated with his skills and intellectual curiosity. It was a strategic identification of a more fertile ground for his specific expertise, a stark contrast to the “force fit” he perceived elsewhere.

Independent Analysis: The Genesis of Confidence

Choosing to return to India was a deliberate act of trusting his own analytical framework over prevailing societal narratives. "I just realized that what I wanted sometimes was contrary to what society usually did," Akella notes. This realization, and the subsequent decision, wasn't youthful rebellion. It was the outcome of a reasoned assessment, a conscious weighing of personal aspiration against market reality. The confidence gained from this early, validated act of independent thought became foundational.

The decision, while met with the predictable "general stigma" and questions about perceived failure, ultimately yielded significant personal and professional dividends. Finding a "great team," a valued mentor, and cementing the relationship with his now-wife underscored the holistic success of this unconventional choice. It demonstrated that a path dictated by internal logic and a clear understanding of one's own requirements could lead to a more robust and fulfilling outcome than merely following the herd.

From Calculated Return to Purpose-Driven Innovation

This early experience – the willingness to dissect a complex situation, trust his analytical conclusions, and act with conviction even when it meant deviating from the norm – did more than set a career trajectory. It forged an operational mindset. The courage to define value on his own terms, honed during that critical period, is the same intellectual engine now driving his approach to the "very hard problem statement" of preventative healthcare with Belong.

Akella's return to India was not just a geographical move; it was an intellectual one. It was an assertion of the power of independent analysis and the pursuit of genuine alignment, principles that now underpin his endeavor to reshape healthcare by understanding not just the data, but the intricate human factors that drive true well-being. His journey illustrates that sometimes, the most astute strategic move is the one that, on the surface, appears to be the most contrarian.

5 Lessons I Learned from Prasanna Akella’s Early Career Choice: