# Praveen Shanbhag

> Praveen Shanbhag is the founder and CEO of Namecoach, which provides audio name pronunciation tools for schools and businesses and is expanding into voice AI. He started building the product while completing a Stanford philosophy doctorate after hearing his sister’s name mispronounced at graduation. His earlier studies and work spanned philosophy, physics, science policy and teaching.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Namecoach
- **Organizations:** Namecoach, Stanford University, National Academies, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Advisory Board Company
- **Education:** BA, History of Science and Philosophy, Harvard University, MA; interdisciplinary studies in philosophy and physics, Columbia University, MPhil, History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, PhD, Philosophy, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Founded Namecoach in 2014., Earned a philosophy doctorate at Stanford in 2014., Led Namecoach through an $8 million Series A announced in November 2022.

## Career timeline

- **2006** — Listed as a winter Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow, working with the Committee on International Security and Arms Control.
- **2006-2007** — Cambridge lists his MPhil dissertation on knowledge, governance and science policy.
- **2007-2014** — His public professional biography lists Stanford teaching and a Patrick Suppes fellowship in philosophy of science.
- **2014** — Completed Stanford philosophy PhD, Space, Mind, and Discursive Knowledge, with Michael Friedman.
- **2014-09** — Founded Namecoach.
- **2016** — Stanford reported campus integration plans and more than 2,000 student users across two commencement cycles.
- **2017** — Presented at AACRAO with Stanford registrar Thomas C. Black.
- **2018** — Presented NameCoach for Equitable Classrooms at Can•Innovate.
- **2022-11** — Namecoach announced an $8 million Series A led by Impact America Fund.
- **2023-06** — Appeared on Paul Meier’s In a Manner of Speaking podcast.
- **2026-04** — Signed Namecoach’s amended Form C as founder and CEO.

## Achievements

- Founded Namecoach in 2014.
- Earned a philosophy doctorate at Stanford in 2014.
- Led Namecoach through an $8 million Series A announced in November 2022.
- Developed name pronunciation software adopted across university and business workflows.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Signed an amended SEC Form C as Namecoach founder and CEO on April 29, 2026.
- **2025-04** — In an April 17 founder interview, discussed Namecoach’s reported $4M-plus ARR, hybrid pronunciation system and plans to expand through voice AI providers.

## Links

- Website: https://name-coach.com/praveen-shanbhag
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-praveen-shanbhag

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/praveen-shanbhag
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22