SKY’S THE LIMIT

Soaring thousands of feet above the ground, Raghu Yarlagadda MS’07 savors the thrill. He took flying up as a hobby years ago. Now a pilot with over 300 flight hours, he appreciates the blend of discipline and adventure it takes to navigate the skies. It helps him manage stress, and the view is often great, of course. But there’s also a certain perspective he gains, which goes beyond the breathtaking sight of snow-capped mountains and glittering lakes.

For Yarlagadda, flying is more than a pastime.

“[It’s] a reminder of the limitless opportunities that exist when we push our boundaries,” he said.

His boundary-pushing career and remarkable personal achievements were recently honored with a 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award from The University of Texas at Dallas. Yarlagadda is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of FalconX, one of the largest and fastest-growing digital asset trading platforms. A leader with a longstanding focus on societal impact, he is also the co-founder of a group of intermediate colleges in his hometown of Vijayawada, India.

Inspired in part by the cross-departmental collaboration he experienced at the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, he’s helped thousands of students follow in his footsteps as innovators in technology and beyond, fostering technical excellence and a drive to solve real-world problems.

Up in the air, Yarlagadda can see how far he’s come. And he sees how far he can still go.

A man in a button-down shirt and vest smiles while posing in a modern office with a blue wall behind him displaying the word “FALCONX” in vertical letters.

A serial entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing digital asset trading platforms, Raghu Yarlagadda MS’07 was inspired by the cross-departmental collaboration he found at UT Dallas.

BOUNDLESS BEGINNINGS

Growing up in Vijayawada, cutting-edge engineering projects and the resources to support them could seem impossibly distant, Yarlagadda said. Driven by a passion for technology and a belief in its potential to do good, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the Vellore Institute of Technology before relocating to the Jonsson School in 2006 to pursue a master’s degree in electrical engineering, specializing in signal processing and machine learning.

At the Jonsson School, and as a lab manager and research assistant at the Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute at UT Dallas, Yarlagadda honed his analytical and problem-solving skills while completing coursework that laid the technical foundation for his career.

He credits the influence of NanoTech Institute researchers Dr. Shaoli Fang and the late Dr. Ray H. Baughman, the pioneering former director and Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair in Chemistry, for helping him translate theoretical aspects of science into practical applications in a structured, rigorous way. The cross-disciplinary collaboration fostered in the Jonsson School and at UT Dallas inspired his own approach to applying engineering principles across disciplines.

“Beyond academics, the friendships I built became some of the closest relationships of my life,” he said. “The late-night brainstorming sessions at engineering labs were unforgettable.”

Perhaps most importantly, Yarlagadda’s education gave him the mindset that “a guy from a small city in Vijayawada” could change the world.

“I was inspired by the ambition at UT Dallas to tackle problems of critical societal need through engineering,” he said. “This was fearless engineering, and it motivated me to work on complex challenges that improved society.”

When Yarlagadda first arrived at UT Dallas, he had more curiosity than confidence.

“I left the university with the courage to go after solving complex global problems,” he said.

Raghu is a visionary, and we are proud to call him a UT Dallas alumnus. We know that his example will inspire our students who are tomorrow’s innovators and entrepreneurs.”

– Chris Bhatti

Yarlagadda launched his professional career at Motorola Mobility, where he pioneered technical developments that laid the foundation for many popular video streaming services, including Netflix and YouTube. Later, he became the general manager at MIC Electronics, earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and joined Google in 2014 as lead product manager for the Chrome OS team, where he led efforts to scale Chromebooks to more than $3 billion revenue. In 2017, he became the product lead at eightfold.ai.

In 2018, Yarlagadda co-founded FalconX, a cryptocurrency and digital asset trading platform now valued at over $8 billion. FalconX serves a diverse set of institutions, including some of the world’s largest hedge funds, asset managers, retail aggregators and crypto native funds.

“We are a one-stop shop for anything an institution needs in digital assets,” he said. “So, if you were to go to a well-known traditional bank broker and try to buy a bitcoin, it’s likely that we are supplying some of the liquidity behind it.”

He has big goals for the platform, which he believes is transforming institutional finance by making digital assets mainstream, safe and efficient. Soon, he hopes to take the technology that FalconX has built and apply it to traditional finance as well.

“We’re not just going to be a crypto company in the next two or three years,” he said.

Four people stand on stage during an awards ceremony. The second person from the left holds a plaque and medal while smiling for the photo. A large event banner reading “Awards Gala” is visible in the background.

Yarlagadda (second from right) was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award at the 2025 UT Dallas Awards Gala. He is pictured with (from left) Shanon Patrick, associate vice president for development and alumni relations; Dr. Richard C. Benson, former president of UT Dallas and former Eugene McDermott Distinguished University Chair of Leadership; and Kyle Edgington PhD’13, vice president for development and alumni relations.

LIFTING UP COMMUNITIES

As the world evolves at a dizzying pace, Yarlagadda has maintained a belief in the stabilizing power of community, launching projects focused on making a meaningful difference in people’s lives. His own story illustrates the power of education, and by mentoring young entrepreneurs and technologists, he wants to help the next generation of innovators navigate challenges and seize opportunities in technology and finance.

To further support education, he co-founded Sarada Educational Institutions, a group of intermediate colleges in his hometown of Vijayawada, India. About 4,500 students are currently enrolled, and 10,000 have graduated, he said.

“Our mission mirrors what UT Dallas provided me: developing well-rounded individuals with access to cutting-edge technology and the confidence to create value regardless of [their] origins,” he said.

His commitment to community and education extends to his relationship with his alma mater. When he was recognized as a 2025 Distinguished Alumni of UT Dallas, it was more than an honor.

“It also gives me a platform to give back to the school,” he said. “I’m excited for the next chapter of partnership.”

Chris Bhatti MA’06, associate vice president of development and alumni relations and associate dean in the Jonsson School said, “Raghu is a visionary, and we are proud to call him a UT Dallas alumnus. We know that his example will inspire our students who are tomorrow’s innovators and entrepreneurs.”

Raghu Yarlagadda MS’07: Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

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