# Naveen Rao

> Naveen Rao is the cofounder and CEO of Unconventional AI. A neuroscience PhD who founded Nervana Systems and MosaicML before leading AI at Databricks, he is now pursuing physics-based computing to reduce the energy cost of artificial intelligence.

- **Role:** Cofounder and CEO at Unconventional AI
- **Organizations:** Unconventional AI, MosaicML, Databricks, Nervana Systems, Intel, Qualcomm, Sun Microsystems
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BSEE, Duke University, PhD in computational neuroscience, Brown University
- **Known for:** Founded Nervana Systems, acquired by Intel in 2016., Cofounded MosaicML, acquired by Databricks in 2023 in a deal valued at approximately $1.3 billion., Cofounded Unconventional AI, which disclosed $475 million in seed funding in December 2025.

## Career timeline

- **1970s** — As a child in Whitesburg, Kentucky, programmed BASIC on Radio Shack display computers during family trips to Hazard.
- **2011** — Completed a PhD in neuroscience at Brown University.
- **2014** — Founded AI chip startup Nervana Systems.
- **2016** — Intel acquired Nervana Systems.
- **2017** — Became Intel vice president and general manager of its Artificial Intelligence Products Group.
- **2020** — Cofounded MosaicML, focused on cheaper model training.
- **2023** — Databricks acquired MosaicML and Rao joined its AI leadership.
- **2025** — Cofounded Unconventional AI; company announced $475 million seed funding in December.
- **2026-06** — Unconventional AI released the Un-0 oscillator-based image generation research and code.
- **2026-08** — Company published follow-up research on sparse oscillator connections.

## Achievements

- Founded Nervana Systems, acquired by Intel in 2016.
- Cofounded MosaicML, acquired by Databricks in 2023 in a deal valued at approximately $1.3 billion.
- Cofounded Unconventional AI, which disclosed $475 million in seed funding in December 2025.
- Coauthored Unconventional AI’s introduction and led its research direction toward physics-based AI computing.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Unconventional AI published research showing 50%-98.4% fewer oscillator interactions in sparse variants, with improved results on selected benchmarks.
- **2026-06** — Unconventional AI released Un-0, an image generator built around a simulated system of coupled oscillators, plus weights and code.
- **2026-04** — Rao appeared on a HumanX 2026 panel on AI infrastructure and published an essay about neural co-evolution.
- **2025-12** — Unconventional AI disclosed a $475 million seed round and $4.5 billion valuation.

## Links

- Website: https://unconv.ai/blog/author/naveen-rao/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naveengrao
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/NaveenGRao

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/naveen-rao
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-29