Natraj “Raj” Balasubramanian: From Fighter Pilot to Public-Market AI CEO

Natraj “Raj” Balasubramanian, Founder & CEO of Braiin Limited, joins LegendsNLeaders to share an extraordinary journey spanning military aviation, entrepreneurship, drones, enterprise software, and artificial intelligence.Raj began his career as a fighter pilot in India, flying MiG-21s and MiG-27s before surviving an ejection from a MiG-27—an experience that ultimately helped set him on an entirely new path in the United States. After transitioning into enterprise software, he built and scaled an ERP company to approximately $35 million in revenue before exiting in 2011.From there, Raj moved into commercial drones, exploring applications across agriculture, search and rescue, delivery, and infrastructure in emerging markets throughout Asia and Africa. He later expanded into generative AI, ultimately building Braiin into a multi-sector AI platform company applying machine learning and automation across agriculture, customer experience, real estate, and other traditional industries.In this conversation, we discuss surviving high-stakes environments, reinventing yourself as an entrepreneur, building and exiting companies, taking Braiin public, and Raj’s perspective on where AI and automation can create the greatest real-world impact.