Ravi Potharlanka

Ravi is a telecom/media executive and entrepreneur with 30 years of experience in the industry. He started his career in the wireless industry in early 90’s – first working at PacTel Cellular (AirTouch), Nextel (Sprint) and then at Teligent (an early-stage telecom company). In 2001, he joined FiberTower (a seed-stage wireless company) and stayed on through its merger and public listing in 2016 – serving as its President and then Chief Operating Officer. In 2011, he co-founded LocusPoint in partnership with Blackstone to acquire, develop, and monetize TV spectrum assets and transition them for mobile wireless use.  He currently focuses on advising and investing in seed and early-stage tech companies, is a member of Sand Hill Angels, invests in commercial real estate assets, and leads Wine Country Radio (serving Sonoma County and Napa Valley) as its President/CEO. He also serves on the boards of Diabetes Youth Families and Commonwealth Club of California. He is passionate about early education, conservation, wildlife, nature, and climate change. During his spare-time he likes to travel, read, and pursue his passions in birding and nature/landscape photography.

Ravi has an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Davis, and a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering (Honors) from National Institute of Technology (NIT, Trichy), India.