Rajitna Balakrishnan (MBA - Finance & Marketing, B.Com, UGC NET in Management) works as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management Studies, Central University of Kerala. She has corporate experience with HDFC Standard Life and Birla Sun Life and brings over seven years of teaching and research experience.

During her academic years (2002-03 & 2003-04), she secured first place in Commerce. Her teaching interests include Startups and Entrepreneurship Development, Digital Marketing, Marketing Management, Mergers, Acquisitions and Corporate Restructuring, Marketing Research, Financial Management and Accounting. She has served as a coordinator for several national workshops and has published articles in UGC CARE-listed journals.

She has presented research papers at several national and international conferences, including Abu Dhabi University, IIT Madras, and IIM Sambalpur. She has also completed a Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on Innovation, Business Models and Entrepreneurship, IIM Bangalore and has actively participated in numerous Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs) and Short-Term Training Programmes (STTPs) in Social Science Research Methods.

She serves as a mentor for startups, including the Youth Innovators Programme -KDISC, and is actively involved in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. She currently holds the position of Co-Nodal Officer for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre (IEDC) at the Central University of Kerala. Her current research area focuses on Strategic Entrepreneurship and Startups.