Economist / Builder

Radha S Jagarlamudi

I'll measure my life's success by the strangers who choose to visit my grave.

"The world asks: what can you do?
I ask: what should be done?"

A question I live by

Won't fit your box

What I keep coming back to

01

The Intentional Capitalist

Capitalism works best

when capital flows to builders with benevolent intent, not just sharp incentives. The aim is not to reject markets, but to back leaders like Ratan Tata, Yvon Chouinard, and Chuck Feeney.

Markets already optimize

for return. The real challenge is rewarding positive externalities so utility includes both profit and public good.

  • How do we route capital toward conscious leaders?
  • Can we measure return on intent alongside return on investment?
02

Reframing the Labor-Leisure Tradeoff

We treat work

as the tax we pay for leisure. That framing breeds escape, not excellence; purpose grows when work itself becomes meaningful.

Standard models define

labor as disutility. No surprise we optimize to escape it. We need a model where craft itself creates utility.

  • Why do we assume work exists only to buy free time?
  • How do we build cultures that make people love the craft?
03

Moore's Law vs. Human Evolution

Technology is compounding

faster than human maturity. The most dangerous gap is between god-like tools and immature instincts.

Productivity scales

exponentially; judgment does not. Bounded rationality and bias now sit behind far more leverage.

  • Are we emotionally ready for the tools we are building?
  • How do we accelerate wisdom alongside innovation?

Defining Moments

I work where it matters most, not where it looks best.

  • 2023–Onward — Ladduu AI/Zone Co-Founder-CEO
    • Translating probabilistic AI intent into mathematically verified reality.
    • Built AI assistants for senior citizens and low-literacy youth across 7+ states in India. 5,000+ users, 80%+ retention for 18 consecutive months.
  • 2022–Onward — IMPLAN Director of Enterprise Customer Success Proved: Retention in practice
    • Provided expert guidance on economic impact studies to clients across federal agencies, academic institutions, and F100 companies.
    • Managed a multimillion-dollar ARR portfolio with a team of five, driving 40% upsell growth by expanding economic impact use cases across enterprises.
  • 2020–2022 — Ladduu Founder-CEO Proved: Idea to Execution
    • Profitably bootstrapped a voice-first platform for rural gig-workers in India, pre-LLM era.
  • 2016–2022 — IMPLAN Jr Economist → Director of Customer Success Proved: Sell, build, lead
    • Double promoted in 9 months by age 23.
    • 5x ARR growth in 4 years.
    • Youngest Director in the company's 50-year history.
    • Led on-prem to cloud transformation.
  • 2012–2016 — Miami University BS, MS, Economics & Finance Proved: Adaptation and analytical thinking
    • Built my academic foundation in Economics because it blends my two loves: math and human behavior.
    • Landed in the US at 17, alone, asking what "credit hours" meant on day one.
  • 2012–2015 — Aapki Seva Community Liaison Proved: Service
    • Co-founded a non-profit as a college student.
    • Built restrooms for 400 rural households in India.
  • 2005–2011 — The Lawrence School, Lovedale Headgirl Proved: Grit
    • A village girl among city kids, ridiculed for my English.
    • Left as Head Girl, Sports Captain, National Debate Team Member, Outreach Club President.
    • KC Mahindra Scholar, Nalini Sivaraman Gold Medal Recipient.

Refining Moments

Every foolish decision taught me something.

  • 2024 — Not everything you see is true Learnt: Discernment over noise
    • FOMO from launch videos, lies about ARR, and "organic" growth stories that weren't.
    • Chased last adopters because the pain is greatest there. Forgot that resistance is too.
  • 2020 — Problems aren't businesses Learnt: Markets make businesses
    • Not every solution to every problem needs to exist. Market matters.
    • Sadly, back then, hadn't yet mastered the art of pitch decks, over-the-top promises, and delusional confidence.
  • 2017 — Idealism without realism Learnt: Purpose needs fit
    • Gave up my US corporate career to build for rural India.
    • Heart in the right place, weak founder-market fit.
  • 2016 — Refused to be a number Learnt: Conviction has tradeoffs
    • Rejected an offer from EY to join IMPLAN.
    • Paid off financially and in learning. Took a hit on brand recognition and optics.
  • 2011 — Different for the sake of it Learnt: Different is not direction
    Said no to Computer Science because everyone was doing it. Contrarian isn't a strategy.

What I Hold True

  1. Character > Work Ethic > Intelligence I have an intuition for reading the person, not the persona. I focus on the character and core fundamentals that inevitably shape a person's future. Early on, I saw great potential in my co-founder that most missed because they were looking at the wrong metrics. Now that his success is public, everyone wants him on their team.
  2. Love for Risk-taking and Unconventional Choices Rejected a Big 4 offer when they made me feel like a number, chose IMPLAN instead. Moved back to India giving up leadership role in the US to build a voice-first platform for rural Indians, years before LLMs existed. Bet on an underdog, a quiet builder.
  3. Substance Over Signal No pitching. No engagement farming. No name dropping. My work speaks, or it doesn't. Period. I have zero interest in impressing people who view every interaction as a trade. I don't play the game of loud promises and empty networking.
Selected Work

What I've Built

Self-taught builder. No CS degree. No bootcamp. Just necessity and curiosity.

MusicViz

Try it

Semantic Music Visualizer that generates synchronized visual experiences from lyrics and music.

CrossRoads

Try it

Modern life offers endless choices, paths, and questions. This AI helps you make life decisions grounded in principles from the Bhagavad Gita.

Ladduu AI

Try it

Voice-first AI for rural non-English speakers and seniors in India.

Handyman marketplace connecting households with local workers across rural India.

Aapki Seva

Partnered with Red Cross India to raise funds and build restrooms for 400 households in rural Andhra Pradesh. Founding member as a college student.

What I've Written