Innovation in Action

When Karthik Srivathsa (MEM '99) looks at a hospital room, he doesn't just see medical equipment. He sees a complex network of interconnected systems, each with the potential for groundbreaking innovation. 

As vice president of next generation systems at Rauland, a company focused on communication technology in healthcare, Srivathsa spends his days envisioning the future of hospital care. Now, he is bringing that forward-thinking perspective to Northwestern's Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program.

Srivathsa started this fall as a co-instructor for the program’s Technology Strategy for Products course. The course challenged students to bridge the gap between technology and business strategy—skills Srivathsa has honed throughout his career.

Students learned how to embed AI into all phases of technology strategy, from concept to commercialization. 

“We’re not starting from a blank slate,” Srivathsa said. “The real question is: How do we take existing technologies and create the products that will define the future? And increasingly, that means understanding how AI can support technology strategy and accelerate innovation.” 

Srivathsa’s career has been defined by innovation. He has been with Rauland since 1994 and served as its director of software engineering and vice president for healthcare engineering before accepting his current role in October 2023.  

He recently secured a patent for incorporating AI into Rauland’s nurse call systems, moving beyond reactive alerts to proactive interventions. 

“We can now predict potential clinical events and alert caregivers before they happen,” he said. “That’s a game-changer for patient safety.” 

This blend of technical expertise and business acumen is exactly what Srivathsa shared with MEM students. The course he co-taught with MEM director Mark Werwath challenged students to develop go-to-market strategies for emerging technologies, preparing students to make critical decisions relating to product selection, commercialization, and investor engagement. 

“How do you identify the right technology, validate its market potential, and demonstrate its value to stakeholders in an AI augmented world?" he said. "That’s the sweet spot of my academic and professional career—and what students learned.” 

Srivathsa hoped to accelerate students’ learning curves, helping them avoid common pitfalls in product development. By the end of the course, he wanted students to have more than just theoretical knowledge—he wanted them to have actionable strategies to transform ideas into impact. 

In today's competitive job market, Srivathsa believes this type of experience is invaluable. He wants students to leave the course with concrete examples of their ability to develop and pitch innovative products.

“They should be able to cohesively present this as a platform, as an entrepreneur today,” Srivathsa said. “That means they understand finance, they understand the go-to-market, they understand product development, and, of course, they also understand the engineering of the product.” 

For Srivathsa, teaching this course is about more than imparting knowledge. It is about shaping the next generation of engineering leaders who can seamlessly bridge the gap between technology and business. 

In essence, he sees his future students and the professional world that awaits them much like he sees the medical equipment in a hospital room—as an interconnected system, each with the potential for groundbreaking innovation.  

“The goal is to get these students noticed,” Srivathsa said. “It’s to put them in a strong position to be able to secure a job.”