From a Karnataka village to NVIDIA: Pruthviraj Prakash’s journey to Silicon Valley

A quiet dream that began in a small village near Chitradurga, Karnataka, has taken Pruthviraj Prakash to one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies. He now works at NVIDIA’s headquarters in Santa Clara, California, as a Software Development Engineer in Deep Learning.

Prakash, who wrote that access to technology ‘once felt out of reach’ growing up in his hometown, shared his journey in a LinkedIn post that traced years of education, persistence and career transitions. ‘What started as a quiet dream in a small town has now become reality,’ he wrote while announcing that he had joined NVIDIA.

Prakash completed his Bachelor of Technology in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from PES University between 2016 and 2020. He then joined Bengaluru-based technology company Enquero as an engineer, working there for three years between August 2020 and July 2023, before enrolling in a Master of Science in Computer Science programme at Clarkson University in the United States in August 2023.

He graduated in May 2025, and within months secured a position at NVIDIA, joining the company’s Deep Learning division in August 2025. He now reportedly earns an annual salary of around Rs 2.6 crore.

‘Joining NVIDIA feels surreal, not just for the opportunity to work on cutting edge deep learning and AI, but to be part of something bigger, alongside some of the brightest minds in tech,’ Prakash wrote.

He closed his post with advice for students and young professionals working toward careers in technology: ‘To those still chasing their dreams, please don’t stop. Keep learning, stay patient, and move forward one step at a time. What feels impossible today might just become your story tomorrow. Yes, I made it to NVIDIA, and so can you.’