# Ashritha Kallem

> Ashritha Reddy Kallem is a Boston-based Northeastern University student and CEO Emerita of IDEA, the university’s student-run venture accelerator. She became CEO in April 2025 after serving as Co-Director of Operations, and has subsequently announced her appointment as Co-President of TEDxNortheasternU. Her public work includes building student leadership teams, hosting founder-mentor events and explaining IDEA’s venture-development process.

- **Role:** CEO Emerita at IDEA: Northeastern University's Venture Accelerator; Co-President at TEDxNortheasternU
- **Organizations:** IDEA: Northeastern University's Venture Accelerator, Northeastern University, TEDxNortheasternU, Mosaic Northeastern
- **Education:** International Business (undergraduate studies; degree completion not established), Northeastern University
- **Known for:** Led IDEA during the 2025–2026 academic leadership cycle., Helped organize the Pitch-A-Thon at which 10 ventures pitched for $10,000 in cash prizes and grant funding., Built the Fall 2025 senior leadership team following a hiring season with more than 100 applications.

## Career timeline

- **2023** — Joined Northeastern University; later recalled joining TEDxNortheasternU as a freshman in community engagement.
- **2024–2025** — Served as Co-Director of Operations at IDEA before her CEO appointment.
- **2025** — Announced as IDEA’s next CEO at Pitch-A-Thon on April 8; assembled the Fall 2025 senior leadership team.
- **2025–2026** — Led IDEA and hosted a founder-mentor event with the Venture Mentoring Network.
- **2026** — Reflected on her CEO year, identified Tanmay Thaker as successor, and announced her appointment as TEDxNortheasternU Co-President.

## Achievements

- Led IDEA during the 2025–2026 academic leadership cycle.
- Helped organize the Pitch-A-Thon at which 10 ventures pitched for $10,000 in cash prizes and grant funding.
- Built the Fall 2025 senior leadership team following a hiring season with more than 100 applications.
- Hosted a Venture Mentoring Network event supported by a founder-mentor matching algorithm developed by IDEA’s analytics team.
- Announced five 2025 Venture Fellows at NEXPO.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Featured in Inside the Business Pod discussing IDEA’s support for Northeastern founders.
- **2026-04** — Reflected on a year as IDEA CEO and identified Tanmay Thaker as the next leader.
- **2026-04** — Announced her appointment as TEDxNortheasternU Co-President alongside Charitha Kunapuli.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashrithakallem

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ashritha-kallem
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08