Rahul Purini Built the World's Top Anime Streamer
By Kelli Luu | 03 Dec, 2025

His ability to leverage his tech background into a crowd-pleasing interface helped Purini rise to CEO of Crunchyroll.

Before stepping in as the President of streaming platform, Crunchyroll, Rahul Purini was building digital systems and engineering solutions. He graduated from Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati, India with a degree in Computer Science and Engineering, giving him a strong foundation for a career in tech. 

Purini started creating a name for himself while working at international digital agencies. He was the Vice President of Solution Delivery at Razorfish, where he led operations and saw large growth increases. Purini specialized in developing digital solutions that would skyrocket consumer engagement and overall business performance. Later he became the head of technology and operations for MEplusYOU, an agency based in Dallas. 

In 2015 Purini joined Funimation, one of the world’s top anime distributors, marking his first step in the entertainment industry. Here he played a role in the modernization of the brand’s infrastructure, which was crucial during this time as anime was beginning to see a period of massive growth. 

Using his engineering background, Purini built systems for Funimation that completely transformed it into a user friendly platform. He managed production, subtitled and dubbed content, and even how the company licensed anime. Purini’s efforts at Funimation didn’t go unnoticed as he rose to CEO, then President and led the company through its integration under Sony Pictures Entertainment, which unified Funimation and Crunchyroll. 

Under Rahul Purini, Crunchyroll surpassed 14 million subscribers worldwide, launched anime dubs in five new languages, and incorporated anime-related music into the platform. His vision went beyond streaming and led Crunchyroll to the acquisition of anime retailer Right Stuf in order to expand into eCommerce and actual merchandise. 

Today Crunchyroll has reported over 120 million registered users and 15 million monthly paid subscribers, solidifying its place as the world’s top anime destination. With Purini leading the way, this niche streaming platform has now grown into a full ecosystem. Crunchyroll’s subscriber base is only growing and Rahul Purini’s mission to make anime accessible to everyone continues to thrive.