Mahati Debate Academy — Karthik Palakodeti

Karthik Palakodeti

National Debate Champion of the United States
WSDC Team India 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Karthik Palakodeti is a student at the Ivy League institution of the University of Pennsylvania. He is the reigning National Debate Champion in the United States, having won the prestigious United States Universities Debating Championship in 2025. Previously, Karthik captained Team India at the World Schools Debating Championships. In 2023, his team was the top ranked team in the world. He made history not only by being the youngest ever to make it onto the top five in India while still in 8th grade, but was also on the team for the most number of years. As a 9th grader, he won the most competitive U16 debate tournament in the world, the International Competition for Young Debaters, hosted by the Oxford and Cambridge Union. The Vice President of India recognized Karthik on Twitter for his debating achievements.

Currently, Karthik is building a startup in AI business analytics and operations. He is backed by the highly selective Emergent Ventures Fellowship, funded by Peter Thiel.

Giving back to the debate community has long been a passion of his. The nonprofit he founded to teach debate in Telugu to underprivileged government school students in Hyderabad was featured on national television. This July, Karthik is coaching Team India White ahead of a tournament in Tanzania.

He closely trains a small, selective group of students privately as part of Mahati Debate Academy.

"Karthik helped coach me to top 30 in India, which helped me a lot in getting accepted to study at the Wharton School."

Ananyaa Sultania — The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

"I got into two Ivy League schools because of Karthik. He was a life mentor, not just someone who coached me in debate."

Akhilesh Sai — Brown University, University of Pennsylvania

"I get to attend a top 10 school due to the support and guidance of Karthik. He was there for me throughout my application process and answered all my questions."

Nisha Sriram — Duke University

Karthik will be directly coaching on Zoom. The year-long training program will be intellectually rigorous and demanding. It is meant for debaters of all levels. Sessions will be an hour long and held on a weekly basis. There will be drills, practice debates, and direct teaching. Karthik will arrange for periodic guest lectures on economics, mathematics, history, law, and science — from students at Oxford, Cambridge, and Ivy League schools. Monthly research tasks and homework will be given. For those who require it, additional help will be provided in the preparation and lead up to tournaments.

There are three tracks:

Foundation — one session per week

Competitive — two sessions per week and one guaranteed 1-on-1 session a month

Elite — three sessions per week and three guaranteed 1-on-1 sessions a month

We will let you know more about pricing and payment once you have had your introductory call with Karthik. Scholarships and financial aid packages will only be given in rare and exceptional circumstances.

Both! Debate is a team activity. Working and learning alongside peers is the best way to improve and become competitive. Training primarily happens in groups, though Karthik may separately arrange one-on-one sessions depending on the track the student has chosen. All training will be personalized and tailored to meet the needs of the individual debater.

All of the training will be done by Karthik himself. There are no junior coaches and assistants. This is the highest quality of coaching anyone can get. Karthik made it onto Team India WSDC four times and went on to win the National Championship in the United States. Random university debaters and for-profit academies are no match.

He meets every week — rather than once or twice a month, the way some other programs are structured. Thorough feedback is given on tasks and assignments completed in between sessions. Karthik and other debate tutors will be available all week on WhatsApp to answer questions.

This is not just a debate tutoring and training program. This is also a mentorship opportunity not worth giving up. Karthik has received acceptances to study at Ivy League schools and Oxford University. He knows what it takes to get in and can help connect students to the right people — Wharton investment competitions, Harvard MUN, essay publications, and more. He will be around to help whenever he can and offer his advice — and for the right student, could write a letter of recommendation.

Fill out the contact form below and Karthik will be in touch to set up a call. Students who are deemed to be a good fit will then be informed.