Shawn Layden
Former Chairman of PlayStation Worldwide Studios, Sony Interactive Entertainment | Founder of PlayStation Productions | 32-Year Sony Veteran | Global Gaming Industry Leader
Sharad Devarajan
AI & Technology Professor, Columbia Business School | Award-Winning Creator & Entrepreneur | Founder & CEO of FaiBLE & Graphic India | Co-Creator of Spider-Man: India
Few people sit at the crossroads of AI, storytelling, and global entertainment like Sharad Devarajan. A Columbia Business School professor of AI and disruptive technologies, he is the founder of FaiBLE, an AI storytelling startup co-founded with two-time Oscar winner Mark Sagar, and of Graphic India, and the co-creator of Spider-Man: India. On stage, he reveals how AI is reshaping creativity, society, and the future of media.
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Sharad Devarajan biography
Sharad Devarajan is a media entrepreneur, creator, and educator working at the frontier where artificial intelligence meets the art of storytelling. For more than fifteen years he has been an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, where he teaches the highly rated course on artificial intelligence and disruptive technologies alongside classes on media and entrepreneurship that challenge tomorrow’s leaders to think about both the ethics and the opportunities of emerging technology.
AI speaker Sharad Devarajan is the Founder and CEO of FaiBLE, a Palo Alto startup on a mission to decode the fundamental science of storytelling while pioneering entirely new forms of media. He co-founded the company with two-time Academy Award-winning technologist and virtual-beings pioneer Mark Sagar, assembling a team of AI scientists, award-winning storytellers, and engineers around a single question: what are the deep structures that make stories resonate with human beings? FaiBLE describes its long-term research as “the AlphaFold of storytelling,” seeking the hidden patterns of emotional and aesthetic resonance much as AlphaFold revealed the structures that govern protein folding.
From Spider-Man: India to a New Creative Renaissance
Devarajan is also the Founder and CEO of Graphic India, the leading character-entertainment company built to transform the perception of India from “outsourcer” to “the source.” In 2004 he worked with Marvel as a co-creator of Spider-Man: India, reimagining Peter Parker as Mumbai teenager Pavitr Prabhakar in one of the industry’s first “trans-creations.” The character later made his cinematic debut in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which became Sony’s highest-grossing animated release worldwide. He is co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer of the record-breaking Disney+ Hotstar series The Legend of Hanuman, a producer on Netflix’s The Archies, and architect of the transmedia strategy behind the Baahubali franchise.
Across his career, Devarajan has built characters and companies with some of the most recognizable names in entertainment and sport. He created the superhero Chakra the Invincible with comics legend Stan Lee, the Disney Channel India series Astra Force with Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, the comic Striker Force 7 with Cristiano Ronaldo, and the Armored Kingdom franchise with Mila Kunis. Earlier in his career he co-founded Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation with Sir Richard Branson, and through Liquid Comics he has developed original graphic novels now in development as Hollywood films and series with directors including Guy Ritchie, Wes Craven, and John Woo.
As a speaker, Sharad Devarajan offers a rare blend of Silicon Valley technologist, Hollywood and global showrunner, and business-school professor. He helps audiences understand how AI is reshaping creativity and society, where the future of entertainment is heading, and how organizations and creators can build globally resonant stories and brands. Senior audiences leave with a clearer, more strategic grasp of the forces redefining media, and a sense of the creative possibilities ahead rather than only the disruption.
Sharad Devarajan Speaking Videos
Evolution of super heroes: Sharad Devarajan at TEDxGateway 2013
Comic-Con Panel Highlight: Graphic India
Sharad Devarajan Keynote Topics
Drawing on more than fifteen years teaching AI and disruptive technologies at Columbia Business School, Sharad Devarajan gives audiences a clear-eyed view of how artificial intelligence is reshaping business, culture, and daily life. He explores the ethical questions facing tomorrow's leaders and offers a framework for thinking about AI not as a threat to be feared, but as a force to be understood and directed responsibly.
What happens when the most creative industry on earth meets the most powerful technology of our time? Devarajan takes audiences inside the transformation already underway across film, animation, gaming, and publishing, sharing lessons from FaiBLE's work to decode the science of storytelling and previewing the new formats, tools, and business models that will define the next era of media.
Every great creator, from the inventors of linear perspective to the architects of the Hero's Journey, has searched for the hidden structures behind their craft. Devarajan reveals how AI now lets us find those patterns intentionally rather than by accident, and what FaiBLE's "AlphaFold of storytelling" means for marketers, leaders, and anyone who needs to move an audience.
From co-creating Spider-Man: India with Marvel to building characters with Stan Lee and Cristiano Ronaldo, Devarajan has spent his career creating heroes that resonate across cultures. He shares what makes a character or brand iconic, why myth and archetype are powerful business tools, and how organizations can build stories that audiences carry with them for generations.
Through Graphic India, Devarajan set out to transform India from an "outsourcer" into "the source" of globally beloved characters. He shares how culturally specific stories can achieve worldwide resonance, why authentic local voices are a competitive advantage in a global market, and how leaders can unlock creativity that travels across borders without losing its soul.
FAQs on Booking Sharad Devarajan
Why Sharad Devarajan?
Booking Sharad Devarajan is a strategic choice for events seeking a speaker who can connect artificial intelligence, creativity, and global business in a way almost no one else can. He is simultaneously a Columbia Business School professor of AI and disruptive technologies, a Silicon Valley founder building the next generation of storytelling technology at FaiBLE alongside two-time Oscar winner Mark Sagar, and an award-winning creator and showrunner behind hit films and series including the co-creation of Spider-Man: India. That combination lets him speak with equal authority to technologists, creatives, and senior executives, translating where AI and media are heading into strategy leaders can act on. His talks are inspiring, substantive, and globally minded, making him an ideal fit for conferences on AI, innovation, entertainment, marketing, and the future of creativity. To bring Sharad Devarajan to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Did Sharad Devarajan create Spider-Man: India?
Sharad Devarajan is one of the co-creators of Spider-Man: India, the 2004 Marvel series that reimagined Peter Parker as Mumbai teenager Pavitr Prabhakar, developed together with artist Jeevan Kang and writer Suresh Seetharaman. The series was celebrated as one of the industry's first "trans-creations," and the character later made his cinematic debut in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which became Sony's highest-grossing animated release worldwide.
What is FaiBLE, Sharad Devarajan's AI company?
FaiBLE is a Palo Alto startup co-founded by Sharad Devarajan and two-time Academy Award-winning technologist Mark Sagar, with a mission to decode the fundamental science of storytelling and pioneer new forms of media. The company brings together AI scientists, storytellers, and technologists to study the deep structures that make stories resonate, an initiative it calls "the AlphaFold of storytelling," and to build new creative tools and experiences based on what it learns.
What topics does AI speaker Sharad Devarajan cover?
Sharad Devarajan speaks on AI and society, the future of entertainment, the science of storytelling, building iconic characters and brands, and how culturally specific stories can achieve global reach. His talks are well suited to conferences and corporate events focused on AI, innovation, media and entertainment, marketing, and creative leadership, where audiences want both visionary perspective and practical insight. To book Sharad Devarajan as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Sharad Devarajan as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Sharad Devarajan as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Sharad Devarajan's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Sharad Devarajan or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Sharad Devarajan speaking fee?
Sharad Devarajan speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Sharad Devarajan to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Sharad Devarajan.
How can I contact Sharad Devarajan?
We only work with Sharad Devarajan on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Sharad Devarajan and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Sharad Devarajan speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Sharad Devarajan for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Sharad Devarajan for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Sharad Devarajan is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Sharad Devarajan for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
