| Anu Vaidyanathan | |
| Nationality: | Indian |
| Residence: | Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Birth Place: | New Delhi, India |
| Occupation: | Filmmaker, Comedian, Writer, Engineer, and Parent |
| Alma Mater: | Purdue University |
| Sport: | Triathlon |
Anu Vaidyanathan is a multifaceted Indian professional known for her work as an engineer, athlete, author, filmmaker, comedian, and entrepreneur[1] whose memoir Anywhere But Home was long-listed for the Mumbai Film Festival's word-to-screen market in 2016.[2]
Vaidyanathan is the founder of PatNMarks,[3] an intellectual property consulting firm, and Avani Films, a film production company.
She made her Off-Broadway debut with a solo BC: AD (Before Children, After Diapers) show at the Kraine Theater on January 12, 2023.[4]
Anu is taking two feature scripts to the market this year. One is a bilingual film in Tamil and English – a satirical thriller with a bit of action. The protagonist is a woman who is a complete badass.[5]
In 2006 Vaidyanathan became the first Indian triathlete, male or female, to complete an Ironman Triathlon. In that same year, she became the first Asian triathlete to finish an Ultraman[6]
Vaidyanathan was born in New Delhi and grew up in Bengaluru and Chennai. She was interested in technology and sports from a young age, spending much of her childhood learning to program.
Vaidyanathan earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in computer engineering from Purdue University and North Carolina State University. She later completed a PhD in electrical engineering at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.[7]
In 2009, while working towards her PhD, she became the first Asian woman to complete the Ultraman Canada event.[8] She is the first India-based athlete to train for an participate in Ironman Triathlon.[9] Vaidyanathan was the first Indian woman to have qualified for the Half Ironman 70.3 Clearwater World Championship in 2008[10]
She has served as the visiting faculty at IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Ropar. Her memoir Anywhere But Home – Adventures in Endurance, was published in 2016.[11] [12]