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Repaying Korea: Indian-born AI entrepreneur, academic becomes naturalized Korean

Published: 28 May. 2025, 18:39

Aichi Satyavrata [AICHI SATYAVRATA]

Aichi Satyavrata, an Indian-born AI entrepreneur and academic, was naturalized as a Korean citizen this month — becoming the only nonethnic Korean among 50 people granted citizenship by the Busan Immigration Office on May 20. The 41-year-old says the decision marks not just a personal milestone but a commitment to give back to the country that embraced his potential.

“I decided to naturalize to repay Korea for believing in me,” Satyavrata said during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at Pusan National University, where he teaches data science as a visiting professor while managing an AI startup.

Satyavrata founded his company last year with support from the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development, becoming its first foreign participant. The firm uses AI to accelerate drug discovery by reducing the time needed to identify candidate compounds. With five employees, the company operates in Busan, Daejeon and Seoul, and surpassed 100 million won ($72,700) in revenue in its first year.

From IIT to Busan

Born in New Delhi in 1983, Satyavrata earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), where only the top 0.5 percent of high school graduates gain admission.

“My father was a professor, and I grew up in a privileged home, which helped me focus on my studies,” he said. “I particularly loved math. Once I set my sights on IIT, I studied for 16 hours a day, splitting my time between cram school and home.”

He joined Tata Motors after graduation, but quit the job after two years of repetitive work.

He went on to spend another two years with a Japanese firm operating in Thailand but felt increasingly unfulfilled.

“At the time, I was becoming interested in health care development using IT,” he said. “A friend who graduated from KAIST recommended studying in Korea. I contacted a professor at Seoul National University, and they introduced me to Inje University Paik Hospital.”

Satyavrata moved to Korea alone in 2014 and enrolled in a Ph.D. program in computer engineering at Inje University. He also began learning Korean.

“There are 32 languages spoken across India, and I speak four,” he said. “That helped me pick up Korean. After about a year of classes, I could hold conversations and read comfortably. In India, even minor administrative tasks can take an entire day due to the size and bureaucracy. In Korea, everything is fast. I quickly adapted to the ‘ppalli-ppalli’ (hurry-hurry) culture. I think it’s how I managed to write over 100 research papers in five years.”

After earning his doctorate, he started lecturing part-time at Inje University in 2020, teaching data science.

Conversations with students sparked new business ideas, leading him to begin planning a startup.

Aichi Satyavrata recites the Oath of Citizenship as the representative of the newly naturalized at the Korean naturalization certificate ceremony held on May 20. [AICHI SATYAVRATA]

“The Busan Center for Creative Economy & Innovation recommended me for the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development, where I experimented with various ideas for a year,” he said. “When Covid-19 hit the following year, government support allowed me to try different healthcare-related research projects.”

Following four years of trial and error, he discovered potential in AI-driven drug development and launched a company last year.

“Our company reduces the time it takes to identify candidate substances for new drugs using AI,” he said. “With five employees, we operate between Busan, Daejeon and Seoul, handling both research and business. In our first year, we surpassed 100 million won ($72,700) in revenue.”

From Indian scholar to Korean entrepreneur

Satyavrata, who is single, returns to India about once a year. Outside of that, he spends nearly every day working or studying.

“My business partners worried I might return to India, so I renounced my Indian citizenship,” he said. “As a Korean citizen now, I want to help Korea become a global leader in AI-based materials science. I hope to grow my company, create jobs for young people and support Korean youth who have great ideas but lack the funding to start their own ventures.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE EUN-JI [[email protected]]