Deep Tech Musings: Recent Episodes
PRONOjit Saha
Deep Tech Musings is a show where we will be talking to exciting startups and professionals in the deep tech space (AI, Blockchain, Robotics, etc). Consider it as a platform where one can discover a new deep tech use case and learn novel ways in which such technologies are being used to solve real world problems. On the show we will bring out the impact that deep technologies are having on real world problems and how value is being created through their usage.
Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pronojitsaha/
Vasan Churchill SC is an Investment Analyst at TDK Ventures, focusing on deep tech in industrial and advanced manufacturing sector. Prior to TDK Ventures, he co-founded a company in the field of robotic additive manufacturing software, where he led business development efforts, nurturing his passion for startups, business, and finance.
Prior to his startup ventures, Vasan worked as a senior scientist at RISE, Sweden, which is equivalent to national labs in the USA. He led a variety of projects at the intersection of materials and manufacturing. Before RISE, he worked in GE Global research, India in wind and aviation domains. He has 2 patents granted in wind turbine blades. He has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware and 3 peer-reviewed publications.
On this episode we discuss,
- Founding story of TDK Ventures and its investment thesis
- TDK Venture’s foray into India
- TDK Venture’s deep tech portfolio and the value it brings for startups
- What does TDK Venture looks for in a deep tech startup?
- Vasan’s personal journey and transition into the VC industry
- Key skills to be successful in the VC industry
- Future opportunities in Deep Tech domain
Links & References:
Vasan Churchill- vasanchurchillsc(LinkedIn)
TDK Ventures - tdk-ventures.com, LinkedIn
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Varun Khare is a technology entrepreneur who currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of NimbleEdge. Varun has worked on a wide variety of machine learning research problems across reputed institutions including UC Berkeley, Max Planck Institute, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, and OpenMined, an open source community focused on advancing privacy-preserving technologies. His pioneering research on federated learning at OpenMined culminated in the founding of NimbleEdge, an on-device machine learning platform for real-time personalization. With his work at NimbleEdge, Varun is helping enable some of the largest consumer apps globally to deliver cost-efficient, real-time personalization in a privacy-preserving manner.
On this episode we discuss,
- Motivation to Start: What motivated Varun to start NimbleEdge?
- NimbleEdge’s Scope: What is NimbleEdge’s scope of features & services?
- Market Gap Identification: What was the gap in the market that led to the genesis of NimbleEdge?
- NimbleEdge Solution: What is NimbleEdge's solution to this problem?
- Technology Framework: What technologies are at play to make this possible?
- Dream11: Walk through of the real-time ML use case with Dream11
- Future Vision: GenAI at the Edge
Links & References:
Naveen Verma- Varun Khare (LinkedIn)
Encharge - nimbleedge.com, LinkedIn
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Naveen Verma, Ph.D., is the Co-founder and CEO of EnCharge AI. At Encharge, he leads a team of engineering veterans from NVIDIA, Intel, Qualcomm, IBM, and AMD who are commercializing a revolutionary AI chip that solves the energy, scalability, and cost constraints of existing AI compute technologies. Naveen spent the last six years leading the cutting-edge research behind EnCharge AI’s core technology as a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Princeton University, where he has done pioneering research in a range of emerging technologies and systems since 2009, including with DARPA funding. His breakthrough, peer-reviewed discoveries in next-generation in-memory computing have been widely recognized and have led to demonstrated step-change increases in performance and efficiency that are the foundation of Encharge AI’s full-stack commercial AI chips.
Links & References:
Naveen Verma- naveen-verma (LinkedIn)
Encharge - encharge.ai, LinkedIn
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
On today’s episode we discuss,
- The Inspiring Journey of Encharge.ai: From Founding Story to Breakthrough Innovation
- The Problem Encharge is Solving: Why existing chips are not very efficient for handling extreme compute workloads
- Solving the Problem from First Principles Thinking: Encharge's breakthrough innovation combining analog+digital
- Major Technologies Comprising Encharge's Innovation
- How Encharge is Uniquely Positioned: The insight
- Can’t NVIDIA Build These Chips?
Arjun is the Founding Partner at Speciale Invest, a seed venture capital fund focused on deep science & tech startups in India, the USA, and Israel. He is passionate about working with exceptional entrepreneurs building emerging tech start-ups in the super early stage. His core expertise has been in product development/management, marketing strategy, org building, fundraising, and finance for over a decade.
Prior to Speciale Invest, he spent over 15 years in the technology and Internet start-up ecosystem in India. He started his career with Yahoo! and later joined Ibibo as Product Manager. The entrepreneurial bug led him to start an Edutech startup and also a travel tech startup, Travelyaari. He has led tech and product teams, and strategy and fundraising at all phases of a start-up lifecycle. At Travelyaari, he built the company to achieve revenues of $40mn and raised $12mn in seed, Series A, and Series B funding.
On today’s episode, we discuss
- The Founding Story of Speciale Invest & Why It's One of the Best Places for Deep Tech Startups
- Understanding VC Firm Structure
- Skills and Abilities to Transition into a VC Role
- The Role of Networking & Mentorship in Advancing Your Career in VC
- Future Trends in the VC Industry and the Deep Tech Startup Ecosystem
For topic-wise episode summary & more, click here - bit.ly/dtm-as
Links & References:
Arjun Rao- arjunrao (LinkedIn), @raodyboy(Twitter)
Speciale Invest - specialeinvest.com, LinkedIn, Twitter
Eric Newcomers Substack on VC World - www.newcomer.co
Ho Nam, Managing Director of Altos Ventures - Twitter, LinkedIn
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Show Notes:
(0:26) Overview of Speciale Invest: Motivation and Investment Thesis
(4:26) Speciale's Impact on Portfolio Startups: A Showcase of Growth and Credibility
(8:35) Transition from a Product Person to a VC: Factors and Inspiration
(17:03) Understanding the Structure of a VC Firm
(20:46) Roles and Responsibilities within the VC Team
(24:03) Key Skills from Product Background Useful in Role as a VC
(27:18) The skill of decision-making in ambiguous situations
(30:41) Acquiring and Developing New Skills During Role Transition
(34:15) Developing Context Switching Skills: Training or Experience?
(36:05) Are Financial Analysis and Valuation Skills Essential for Effective Planning?
(37:23) Mentors and Role Models During a Transition: Reflection and Thoughts
(39:43) Questioning the Existence of a "Right Mentor": Active & Passive Mentoring
(42:58) Transitioning from Product to VC: Recommended Resources and Advice
(44:39) Future Trends in the VC Industry for Individuals Looking to Transition
(48:08) The Future of Indian Deep Tech: Predictions and Projections
Dr. Geetha Manjunath is the Founder, CEO, and CTO of NIRAMAI Health Analytix, and has led the company to develop a breakthrough AI solution for detecting early-stage breast cancer in a non-invasive radiation-free manner. Geetha holds a Ph.D. from IISc and management education from Kellogg’s Chicago. She comes with over 25 years of experience in IT innovation. She has proposed and led multiple AI projects at Xerox Research and Hewlett Packard India. Geetha has received many international and national recognition for her innovations and entrepreneurial work, including CSI Gold Medal, BIRAC WinER Award 2018, and is also on the Forbes List of Top 20 Self-Made Women 2020. She was declared the winner of Women Health Innovation Showcase Asia, Accenture Vahini Innovator of the Year Award from Economic Times, and Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 by BioSpectrum India. Geetha is also an inventor of 20 US patents and more pending grants.
On today’s episode, we discuss,
- Unveiling the Genesis of Niramai: A Pioneering Journey
- Getting Early Adopters and Gauging Business Model Viability
- Mastering the Art of AI Product Development and Fostering Clinician Trust
- Navigating the Financial Challenges of Launching an AI Startup
- Going Beyond Borders: Internationalizing Your Startup
- The Horizon of AI in Healthcare: A Glimpse into the Future
For topic-wise episode summary & more, click here - bit.ly/dtm-gn
Links & References:
Dr. Geetha Manjunath - geetha-manjunath (LinkedIn), @geethamhp (Twitter)
Niramai Health Analytix - niramai.com, LinkedIn, Twitter
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Manish Singhal is a technologist-turned-entrepreneur-turned-venture capitalist who aspires to help place India on the global DeepTech innovation map through his work at pi Ventures. With over 31 years of experience spanning diverse fields, including the development of cutting-edge technology products on a global scale, mentoring startups, investing in them, and establishing a deep tech venture fund, he brings a wealth of expertise to the table.
Manish has played a pivotal role in advancing technology in India. He contributed significantly to the development of GPS systems for the Indian Army. Furthermore, he made substantial contributions to the MPEG 4 standard, authoring a chapter that played a crucial role in its commercialization, revolutionizing digital media and communication technologies.
Actively engaged in India's startup ecosystem for the past several years, Manish founded pi Ventures in early 2016 with the vision of accelerating the growth of AI startups in India. Prior to that, he co-founded LetsVenture.com, rapidly transforming it into the premier marketplace for startups and early-stage investors in India. Preceding his involvement with LetsVenture, he served as the India country manager for Sling Media Inc, a Silicon Valley-based consumer electronics startup. During his tenure, he spearheaded the establishment of the R&D and product team in India from the ground up, ultimately achieving a successful acquisition.
On today’s episode we discuss,
- The founding story of pi Ventures & its investment thesis
- How pi Ventures helps Deep Tech Startups grow
- Key criteria for investing in Deep Tech startups
- pi Ventures seminal Deep Tech themes report - Deep Tech Shift 2026
- The experience of raising an INR 702 cr fund for Deep tech, remotely during the pandemic
Links & References:
Manish Singhal - smanishsinghal (LinkedIn), @manish_saarthi (Twitter)
pi Ventures - piventures.in, LinkedIn, Twitter
Deep Tech Shift 2026 Report - Link
pi Ventures DeepTech: Emerging Frontiers Mini Blogs - Link
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Show Notes:
(00:31) Founding story of Pi Ventures. What was its motivation?
(4:05) Investment Thesis and Focus Areas
(5:29) Pi Ventures: A Catalyst for Growth in Deep Tech Startups
(9:18) Key Criteria for Investing in Deep Tech Startups
(11:09) Positioning of Indian Startups in Solving Global Problems
(14:35) The Visibility of Deep Tech Startups and Media Attention in the Local Indian Perspective
(16:22) Experience of Raising the INR 700cr Second Fund for Deep Tech Startups
(19:22) Motivation behind the Deep Tech Shifts 2026 Report
(20:45) Exploring the Themes and New Thesis in the Deep Tech Industry
(25:59) The Future of Generative AI: Exploring Its Potential and Layers of Development
(29:21) "Considerations for Taking a Deep Tech Startup to Success"
(31:05) How can deep tech startups position themselves and acquire their first ten customers?
Rob stands at the intersection of AI innovation and business strategy. He is the insightful author of the 'Investing in AI' newsletter, providing invaluable perspectives to investors and tech enthusiasts alike. He previously co-founded Backupify, then Talla, then was a General Partner at PJC. Rob has an intricate understanding of the startup ecosystem and the role of AI in shaping the future of industries. Currently steering the ship as the CEO of BrandGuard.ai, an AI tool to protect & boost your brand, and also a Partner at the AI Operator's Fund, which makes pre-seed investments in AI startups. He continues to be a driving force in AI's integration into the business world. He is an angel in 100+ early-stage companies, mostly AI companies. On the show we discuss,
- How Rob Comes Up With Amazing Content for 20 Years
- Synthetic Users and Why Real User Feedback Matters Less in an AI World
- Why Horizontal Will LLMs Will Loose
- The New Age Customer Acquisition Channels and Achieving “Agent-Market Fit”
- Why AI Will Kill Most Forms of Long-Term Competitive Advantage
For episode summary & more, click here - bit.ly/dtm-rb
Links:
Rob May - robmay (LinkedIn), @robmay (Twitter), rob@aiinnovators.com (Email)
BrandGuard.ai - Website
Investing in AI Newsletter - Substack
AI Innovator’s Podcast - Apple, Spotify
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Show Notes:(0:53) How does Rob come up with great quality content every week, year after year?(2:03) The Inefficiencies in the Current AI Development Process: User Feedback(7:14) The Role of Product Development in a World of AI(12:08) The implications of horizontal LLMs losing in the AI industry.(16:54) The Role of Agents as New Customer Acquisition Channel: Achieving “Agent-Market Fit”(24:01) The Impact of AI on Long-Term Competitive Advantage(28:15) The True Competitive Advantage in an AI First World: Customer Relationships and Brand(30:50) Using BrandGuard.ai to Protect the Identity of Brands(34:33) AI Innovators Community(38:02) Crypto: What Gives?
Avnish is an innovator, strategist, and technology evangelist with 30 years of extensive experience and track record around market making, growth hacking, corporate innovation, digital transformation, and leadership development for Top 500 Fortune clients in both mature and emerging markets. In his current role as MD of Accenture Ventures, he is responsible for leading open innovation programs, building a deal pipeline for investments and acquisitions, academia partnerships, and originating deals in selected segments and accounts.
For the episode transcript and topic-wise summary click here - bit.ly/dtm-aa
On the show we discuss,
(0:56) Jumping Career S-Curves: From Armed Forces to Corporate World
(4:16) Accenture Ventures: Motivation and Role in the Indian Startup Ecosystem
(5:50) Building a Zero-to-One Initiative: Not Just for Startups
(6:35) Defining Deep Tech and Highlighting Portfolio Deep Tech Startups
(9:48) The Role of Accenture Ventures in the Growth of Startups
(13:18) Forming Effective Partnerships with Large Corporations: How can Deep Tech Startups Collaborate with Corporations?
(17:54) Accelerating Startup Growth: Strategies for Deep Tech Startups
(25:25) Key Criteria for Evaluating Startups for Partnerships or Investments: 2-inch wide and 20-inch deep
(27:44) Approaches to Foster a Culture of Innovation in Startups
(31:23) The Importance of Learning from Failures in Startups
(33:05) Accenture Venture's Perspective on Generative AI
(34:49) Initiatives by Accenture in Generative AI
Links:
Avnish Sabharwal- avnishsabharwal (LinkedIn)
Accenture Ventures - Website
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Sonal is currently VP at 3one4 Capital, an early-stage VC which counts in its portfolio the likes of Licious, Jupiter, Darwinbox, and more! 3one4’s exponential growth has been driven by partnering with generational companies to transform market segments across the country. Sonal has built systems and processes at 3one4 Capital to achieve strong coverage without compromising founder or referrer experience, all while maintaining a lean investments team. In addition to managing routine investment workflows, Sonal looks at fintech, enterprise software, and deep-tech focus areas for the firm. He has been an integral part of the firm’s investments in several category-defining companies. On the episode we discuss,
(2:15) Investment Thesis at 3one4 Capital
(4:05) Investment Focus and Startup Stage
(5:05) Defining Deep Tech at 3one4 Capital
(6:26) Deep Tech Startups in 3one4 Capital’s Portfolio
(9:48) Role of 3one4 Capital in the Growth of Unique Startups
(10:58) Key Considerations for Investing in Startups by Phases
(14:22) Five Key Questions That An Investor Is Looking To Answer While Investing
(16:19) Assessing the Right Team: How to Identify Potential Flags and Metrics
(17:52) The Key Components of an Ideal Startup Pitch
(19:28) Determining the Amount of Funding Startups Should Raise
(21:38) 3one4 Capital's viewpoint and approach to Generative AI
(26:08) The Importance of Problem-Solving and Faster Iteration in Product Development
(28:19) The Value Unlocking Potential of GenAI Lies in the End Applications
Links:
Sonal Saldhana - sonalsaldanha (LinkedIn), @sonalsaldanha (Twitter)
3one4 Capital - Website
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Ankit is the founder of ZedBee Technologies, an IIT-Madras incubated startup that has developed next-generation solutions for energy management in buildings & industries. Their state-of-the-art systems are built around the Internet of Things technology and advanced machine learning algorithms hosted in the cloud.
For more details and an episode summary click here - bit.ly/dtm-az
In the episode we discuss,
(0:28) Ankit’s personal journey into entrepreneurship
(6:53) "The Impact of Professor Ashok (Founder IITM, Research Park) on Indian Entrepreneurs: How Has He Inspired and Motivated Them?"
(15:15) Understanding the End User and Market Scope
(15:46) Potential savings for commercial setup: Past experiences and numbers.
(18:52) Raising a Successful Pre Seed Round: Strategies and Tips
(21:13) Identifying Early Customers for Idea Validation
(22:36) Assessing Technical Feasibility in the Early Stages of Product Development
(24:48) Assessment and Confidence in Developing Solutions: Overcoming Challenges
(26:04) Main technologies in the product
(27:29) Focus on Patents
(27:51) Building Moats in Startups
(31:14) Overcoming Initial Activation Hurdles to Gain Client Trust and Adoption
(35:13) Future Market Forces in the Industry: Technology, Consumer Behavior, and Regulations
(38:39) Advice for Entrepreneurs: Taking an IoT AIML Startup from Zero to One
Links:
Ankit Poddar - ankit-poddar (LinkedIn), zedbee.in
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
We've reached our 50th episode of the podcast! Thanks to all the listeners, the guests & the thriving Indian deep-tech community for their continuous love & support.
Today's episode is a very special one, not only because its our 50th but more so because of our guest. Arpit is a passionate advocate for deep tech transforming our world. With a strong background in startups and technology commercialization, he leads Deep Tech investments at Blume Ventures for a decade now with particular focus on ClimateTech, Electric Mobility, HealthTech, and Logistics. Companies he manages include Spinny, Cashify, Euler Motors, Battery Smart, BeatO and THB. He has been actively involved with promotion of startups since 2006 with prior engagements across Headstart Network and TLabs.
In this episode, explore the Indian deep tech ecosystem with Arpit as he delves into its history, the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, survival in the industry, government’s role, shifting investor trends, and Blume's focus on deep tech.
For episode transcript, topic-wise summary, and more – bit.ly/dtm-ab
Links:
Arpit Agarwal – Arpit Agarwal (LinkedIn), @arpiit (Twitter)
Blume - Blume (LinkedIn)
- Blume EV Primer
- Blume Indus Valley Report
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Show Notes: (0:47) Arpit’s Professional Journey
(3:32) Overview of Indian Deep Tech Ecosystem Evolution and Key Milestone Turning Points
(10:46) Challenges and Opportunities in Indian Deep Tech: Funding, Skilled Talent, and Market Acceptance
(16:14) The Connection Between Risk-Taking and Success in Deep Tech
(17:47) Market Acceptance for Deep Tech Solutions & its Evolution
(20:50) The Impact of Government Initiatives on Deep Tech Startups
(23:17) The Role of Academic Institutions and Research Centers in Industry-Academia Partnership
(25:06) Trends in Investor Interest and Funding Availability for Deep Tech Startups
(29:22) Advise to Deep Tech Founders
(31:17) Technologies with Significant Potential for Future Growth
(32:39) BLume's Portfolio Startups: A Brief Overview
(33:38) Why is Blume considered one of the best places for deep-tech startups?
(35:36) What needs to be done to have successful deep tech startups like OpenAI from India?
In this episode, we have an exciting guest, Nihal, the co-founder of Myoworks, a biotech startup that is shaping the future of the cultivated meat industry. Nihal shares the founding story of Myoworks and how they adapted 3D printing to create something more innovative and cutting-edge for the cultivated meat industry. He talks about the team's journey in creating a novel scaffolding technology for the industry. We also touch upon the benefits of cultivated meat as a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional farm meat. Lastly, Nihal mentions the team's success in securing funding through BIRAC and the SINE incubator at IIT Bombay. So, let's dive in and learn how Myoworks is revolutionizing the food industry!
Social Links
Nihal - nihal-singh (LinkedIn)
MyoWorks - www.myoworks.in
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Neeraj is an industry veteran with more than two decades of experience in leading Strategy, GTM, and Operations globally for Fortune 500 companies. In this episode, he shares his journey from working in leading corporates to becoming an angel investor in startups and eventually founding Xscale. He talks about his motivation for creating the company, which is aimed at helping startups scale their businesses and overcome the common struggles of scaling, selling, and monetization. Neeraj shares his insights on deep tech and highlights some of Xscale's contributions to helping startups go from zero to one. Neeraj also provides his top five pieces of advice for entrepreneurs looking to take their deep tech startups from zero to one. The episode concludes with a discussion on the importance of GTM strategy for deep tech startups and how to use a template-based approach for startup GTM motions.
For episode transcript, bullet point summary, and more – bit.ly/dtm-xscale
In this episode we discuss,
(00:27) Founding story of Xscale and its motivation
(03:24) What is the current team composition of Xscale?
(05:05) How does Neeraj define Deep Tech?
(06:32) Xscale’s contributions in helping startups go from zero to one
(13:03) Neeraj’s top 5 advice to entrepreneurs who want to take their deep tech startups from zero to one
(21:30) Can GTM motion be the moat for deep tech products?
(25:18) How does Template based approach of GTM change the scenario?
(31:25) Future initiatives of Xscale in deep tech space
Social Links:
Neeraj Randev – neerajsaxena (LinkedIn)
XScale - xscaleglobal (LinkedIn)
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Shashank is the Co-Founder of 100X.VC - India's first venture fund to invest in early-stage startups using iSAFE Notes. He brings entrepreneurial and investment understanding with 15+ years of cross-functional expertise. Shashank’s professional ability in developing, launching, and making the first move when it comes to products and solutions is reflected in the novel model of 100X.VC. As a Co-Founder of 100X.VC, he is part of the Investment Committee and works closely with portfolio companies on how to improve the chances of new products succeeding. He also helps them raise follow-up capital from growth-stage VCs, CVCs, and family offices. Apply for the Class 10 cohort for INR 1.25 CR funding here: www.100x.vc/class10
In this episode we discuss,
(00:31) Founding story of 100X.VC. What was its motivation?
(02:30) What is iSAFE Notes and how startups can take advantage of it?
(06:01) How can startups apply to 100X.VC and what's their program structure like?
(09:55) How does 100X.VC define deep tech?
(11:31) Some portfolio deep tech startups of 100X - Accio Robotics, Confider Health, Emo Energy, Meta Shop, Think Metal
(15:10) Shahank’s 5-stage deep tech startup lifecycle framework & how 100X helps deep tech startups to move through the stages
(19:50) Shashank’s advice to deep tech founders to take their startup from 0 to 1
(23:21) What does 100X look for in deep tech startups while deciding to invest?
(27:44) What are some future initiatives being planned at 100X?
(29:41) What are some future opportunities in deep tech domain that Shashank wished a startup could capitalize now?
Social Links:
Shashank Randev, 100X.VC - shashankrandev (LinkedIn), @ShashankRandev (Twitter)
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Links & References from the episode:- Emerging Deeptech Article - https://www.100x.vc/blog/emerging-indian-deep-tech-ecosystem
-
Generative Ai trends Article: https://www.100x.vc/blog/generative-ai-8-futuristic-trends
-
100X Investment Thesis - https://www.100x.vc/investment-thesis- 100X.VC portfolio: www.100x.vc/portfolio
Dr. Ritu Verma is the Co-founder and Managing Partner at Ankur Capital – an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in digital & deep science technology startups. Prior to starting Ankur Capital, Ritu ran Truven, an advisory firm for venture funds looking at investments in India and SE Asia. She is passionate about bringing innovation from the lab to the market and did that for over a decade across different roles at Philips and Unilever across the globe.
In this episode, Ritu shares her insights into the world of deep science technologies, including synthetic biology, battery chemistry, bioinformatics, and materials. She also discusses Ankur Capital's investment philosophy and how they support deep science entrepreneurs in India. Ritu highlights the importance of user research and the need to bring in business, market, and customer skills to test whether an innovation is a solution to a customer's problem. Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur, or an investor interested in deep science startups, this podcast is a must-listen. Tune in to gain valuable insights into the world of deep science technologies and how early-stage startups can set themselves up for success.
— Where to find Dr. Ritu Verma:
· LinkedIn – ritu-verma
· Twitter – @rituverma01
— Where to find Ankur Capital:
· LinkedIn – ankur-capital
· Twitter – @ankurcapital
· Web – Ankur Capital
—Where to find Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast:
· LinkedIn – pronojitsaha
· Twitter – @pronojits
Show Notes:
(00:46) What motivated founding Ankur Capital's deep science technologies vertical?
(01:40) How does Ankur Capital support and engage with the deep science community?
(02:32) How does Ritu Verma define deep science?
(04:27) Does Ankur Capital consider advancements in AI, IoT, and crypto within the purview of deep science technologies?
(05:30) Portfolio startups that Ankur Capital has invested in, the problems they solve & their IPs
(09:30) What makes Ankur Capital one of the best places for deep science startups?
(11:15) Ritu’s top 3 advice to entrepreneurs looking to take their deep science startup from zero to one.
(14:15) How can deep science startups de-risk their long gestation periods?
(16:50) How can startup founders assess scalability potential early on?
(19:50) Ritu’s viewpoint on the prevalence and importance of doing user research in the deep tech industry.
(24:05) How to build moats in deep science products? What is ring-fencing?
(26:55) Future initiatives of Ankur Capital in deep science space.
(27:55) Future opportunities in deep science space that startups should capitalize on
Are you ready to be inspired and gain valuable insights from one of the most successful and accomplished evangelists in the Indian startup ecosystem? On this episode of our show, we have the privilege of sitting down with Ravi, a true trailblazer who has overcome incredible obstacles to achieve success in his career. From growing up in a Naxalite-affected area in India to holding key roles at Venture Catalyst, Shark Tank, and the private office of the Royal Family of Dubai, Ravi has a wealth of experience to share around those roles.
You'll also hear about his 2-month-long international startup tour spanning 11 countries, and the insider tips he has to offer on the best things to eat in those countries! But that's not all, Ravi also shares his expert advice for entrepreneurs looking to raise funds and what to look for in investors. With over 2000 startup events under his belt, he's also got big plans for a first-of-its-kind Startup Angel event later this year in Abu Dhabi and he's going to give us a sneak peek into what we can expect. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from one of the most accomplished and successful evangelists in the Indian startup ecosystem. Tune in now!
Where to find us:
Ravi Ranjan, Entrepreneurship Evangelist - itsraviranjan (LinkedIn), itsraviranjan (Twitter)
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Show Notes:
(00:02:16) What motivated Ravi towards entrepreneurship early on in his career
(00:05:30) Ravi’s viewpoint on enabling entrepreneurship at the grass-root levels
(00:10:20) What has led to Venture Catalyst’s phenomenal growth in angel investment space
(00:14:00) Ravi’s experience in designing the biggest startup show in India - SharkTank
(00:18:40) The goal of the Private Office of the Royal Family of Dubai for startup development
(00:21:55) Middle East rising up to capitalize on the Web 3.0 startup ecosystem
(00:23:20) Ravi’s experience on representing India across 11 startup nations in 2 months
(00:28:40) Ravi’s gastronomical insights on European food!
(00:31:50) Ravi’s advice to entrepreneurs on things to consider while raising funding and things to look out for in investors
(00:34:30) Ravi’s big plans for one of world’s first and largest event for angel investors in Abu Dhabi
Padma Shree Ashok Jhunjhunwala is the founder and president of IIT Madras (IITM) Research Park & Incubation Cell (IC), one of India’s foremost Deep Tech startup hubs. As of recording, IITM IC has incubated 280+ startups generating Rs 1620+cr revenue at a valuation of Rs 33000cr (US 4.1B), and it’s ever-growing. Some of its marquee startups are Ather, Uniphore, Stellapps, MediBuddy, and many more. Prof Ashok is a strong proponent of entrepreneurship and has motivated & guided 1000s of students & young entrepreneurs over the years towards the same. He was also the former principal advisor to the Ministry of Power, Govt. of India.
In this episode, Dr. Ashok takes us back to the India of the 90s to highlight how some trends that motivated him toward the entrepreneurial ecosystem. He talks about inspiring other entrepreneurs not just to believe but also to act on the power of ideas by building things. He highlights the DNA of IITM IC and how it’s a startup in its own right. He opines on the future of the deep tech industry and shares his advice for entrepreneurs just starting out. With his wealth of experience comes a treasure trove of insights. Surely not to be missed.
In this episode we discuss:
(00:01:39) How has India's entrepreneurship and startup scene changed from the 1980s and 1990s to the present day?
(00:12:43) How does Dr. Ashok define deep tech?
(00:14:30) What makes IITM Incubation Cell an ideal place for a deep tech startup?
(00:20:33) How does Incubation Cell help someone grow once they are accepted into the system?
(00:23:28) Some marquee startups to come out of IITM IC
(00:25:10) Opinions on some of the initiatives that the ITM Incubation Cell is planning for the future.
(00:26:40) What does Dr. Ashok think about the general prospects of the deep tech industry?
(00:27:05) What are some of the future trends he sees?
(00:29:27) Dr. Ashok's top three pieces of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs just starting out
— Where to find us:
- Dr. Ashok, Founder President IITM RP & IC - Wikipedia
- Reema Saha, Head of Sales & Marketing, IITM RP & IC - LinkedIn
- Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
— Where to find IITM Incubation Cell & Research Park:
- LinkedIn – IITM-Incubation Cell, IITM Research Park
- Facebook – IITMadras Incubation, IITMadras Research Park
- Twitter @iitm_respark
- Web – incubation.iitm.ac.in, respark.iitm.ac.in
Jitesh, is the founder and CTO of Ishitva Robotic Systems, which is building futuristic automated Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) that can sort different types of waste at high volume for Indian Cities. Automated MRF solutions incorporate AI Vision Systems, Mechanical Robots, High-Speed Sorting, and Live Analytics of Waste Streams which Jitesh has developed at Ishitva over the last 6 years. Their clients include Municipal Solid Waste Companies, Plastic Aggregators, and different types of companies who recycle and create pellets, paper, cardboard, etc. Ishitva's vision is to provide automation sorting solutions for all types of waste like Plastic, Paper, Cardboard, Glass, Metal, Rubber, etc. Before Ishitva, Jitesh had 12+ years of experience in the software industry and worked for Fortune 500 Companies building products and solutions across the globe.
In today’s episode, we talk about how Ishitva can act as a catalyst for the “waste circular economy” by providing a high volume of materials to recyclers. Jitesh highlights how to evaluate the technical viability of AI/ML solutions and how to make clients trust AI. He further ruminates about the prospects of making his vision system available as a service. We end up with Jitesh’s advice on making it from idea to traction in deep tech and how the technology space in Gujarat is moving ahead in Automation R&D.
In this episode, we cover
[00:01:02] What inspired Jitesh to get into entrepreneurship?
[00:05:20] What is the problem Ishitva solving? What is the circular economy?
[00:08:24] Ishitva’s traction till now and major clients
[00:10:05] Ishitva’s hardware and software technology stack
[00:15:02] How to assess the technical viability of an AI/ML solution early on?
[00:20:43] How to make consumers or clients accept and trust an AI product?
[00:23:09] How can deep tech startups create competitive moats?
[00:28:44] Like large language models, can Ishitva’s vision system be offered as a service as well?
[00:31:00] What are Jitesh's top suggestions for launching a deep-tech startup or product?
[00:33:48] Jitesh's viewpoint on the developments taking place in Gujarat in technology domain
Where to find us?
Jitesh Dadlani – jiteshdadlani (LinkedIn)
Ishitva Robotic Systems – Ishitvaroboticsystems (LinkedIn), @IshitvaSystems (Twitter), ishitva.in (Web)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Swapnil Jain has a vast experience of 17+ years and is a proficient all-rounder when it comes to Product Evangelism, Project Management, Seed Investments, Mentorship, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Speaker, and Tech-Evangelism. He is currently a founder and CEO at ORAI Robotics, an AI-Powered Robotic Virtual Assistant for Education, Automobile, Healthcare and other industries. It serves as a "Performance Amplifier" for generating and qualifying quality leads and delivering higher strike rates to customers automatically 24x7.
With his rich niche experience in transforming business ideas into technology-driven business models, his entire focus is on evangelizing Digital Transformation with the power of AI/ML and RPA. In the era of Artificial Intelligence and Voice-First trends, his true experience lies in formulating digital business strategies that are matched with technological implementation to collaborate and compete in a new market.
In this episode, we cover
[00:00:29] Swapnil’s super interesting back-story and what motivated him towards entrepreneurship.
[00:09:42] What are the major products of ORAI?
[00:13:40] Is conversational AI a crowded space? Should that be a barrier for new entrants?
[00:16:26] Did ORAI take a horizontal or vertical product approach and why?
[00:18:19] What were the initial activation hurdles that ORAI faced to make clients trust and try their product?
[00:19:51] What are the major technologies at play in the product?
[00:21:58] What are the competitive moats for ORAI?
[00:26:20] Swapnil’s thoughts on human-like interaction of AI conversation agents
[00:31:09] Swapnil’s advice to fellow entrepreneurs to make their journey from zero to one
[00:36:15] What have been some unexpected uses of their product?
Where to find us
Swapnil Jain – swapniljain (LinkedIn), swapnil_jain_25 (Twitter)
ORAI – orairobotics (LinkedIn), ORAIRobotics (Twitter)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Nishanth Raja, is a researcher turned entrepreneur with expertise in Ultrasonic Guided wave, Hi-Temp Sensor, NDE, Data analysis and interpretation. He is the co-founder of XYMA Analytics, a Deep tech startup on a mission to enhance industrial automation using IoT-enabled Ultrasonic Waveguide sensors to address the critical pain point in industries with High-Temperature applications.
On the episode, we cover
[00:00:39] Backdrop on Xyma’s Aegis Graham Bell innovation award
[00:02:08] What motivated Nishanth to start Xyma Analytics?
[00:05:30] What is the core problem that Xyma is looking to solve? And what are the products that it has come up with to solve that problem?
[00:09:57] What were some of the initial activation hurdles Nishanth faced to make his clients trust and try his product?
[00:10:21] How did Nishanth overcome those hurdles?
[00:11:59] What are the major technologies at play, and what software layer is on top of it?
[00:15:47] After gaining some good traction, how has Nishanth’s team gone about building moats into this product?
[00:16:53] What advice does Nishanth give to fellow entrepreneurs who are looking to make it zero to one in this field?
[00:19:06] How did Xyma go about defining its customer segment in the initial days? And how did it change over the years?
[00:21:16] What are some of the biggest challenges right now for Xyma?
[00:23:20] How does Nishanth see the role of AI contributing towards the growth of Xyma?
Nishanth Raja – nishanthraja (LinkedIn)
XYMA Analytics – XYMAAnalytics (LinkedIn), @AnalyticsXyma (Twitter)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Divanshu is the co-founder of Solinas, which is a deep-tech IITM incubated start-up that develops robotic & AI solutions for the pipeline and sanitation industry, solving problems of water leakages and eliminating manual scavenging. Their products organize the management of pipelines and tanks by providing efficient solutions and data-driven decision-making for their customers. Solinas has won multiple awards in its journey till now.
Divanshu is a recent mechanical engineering graduate from IITM and a young entrepreneur who is passionate about solving complex problems using first-principle thinking. He firmly believes in the power of technology and is constantly looking to amplify the impact of social enterprises through that. He was one of the only 2 students to receive both an academic and a nonacademic institute prize while graduating in 2019. He is a regular speaker at events organized by WEF, TFI, IIT Madras, BITS, and others
In this episode, Divanshu shares his story on building his startup and the products that Solinas is building. He gives his thought on the predicament of a robot replacing a human and how he views the situation. He shares how Solinas has structured itself to build products that are more pull than push products. Finally, he shares insights on how Solinas intends to build moats and his advice to entrepreneurs in the same field looking to make it from zero to one.
Divanshu Kumar – divanshukumar (LinkedIn), div_involve (Twitter)
Solinas Integrity Pvt. Ltd. - www.solinas.in/ (Web), solinasintegrity (LinkedIn)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Show notes:
[00:00:36] Divanshu’s background and experience in starting the IIT Formula Electric team
[00:02:05] What motivated Divanshu to startup?
[00:04:12] What are the products that Solinas is building?
[00:06:32] A perfect case of a robot replacing a human, does Divanshu see this situation differently?
[00:11:23] How have Solinas structured themself to build products which are more of a pull than push products?
[00:13:30] What are the main technologies at play in Solina’s products?
[00:15:27] How Solinas plans to utilize data and build vision analytics capabilities
[00:17:30] What is the intelligence layer that Solinas plans to build on top of its products?
[00:20:50] How do Solinas intend to build moats into their product?
[00:22:38] What are the biggest challenges that Solinas is facing right now?
[00:25:12] Divanshu’s advice to entrepreneurs looking to make it from zero to one in this field?
Harshit is the founder & CEO of Intugine Technologies, an end-to-end multimodal supply chain visibility platform. Intugine's real-time logistics visibility platform brings together disjoint systems and helps businesses optimize their logistics operation. Some of India’s renowned brands like flipkart, myntra, LG, Diageo, Mahindra, Ford, etc use Intugine's platform to negotiate volatility and uncertainties in their supply chain.
In this episode, Harshit shares his motivation to start Intugine and the discoveries that led his team to successfully pivot from B2C to B2B segment. He shares the various resolutions of location data being enabled by Intugine and reveals how is the product embedded into logistic supply chain. He talks about the 3 layers of location intelligence and how is the predictive layer acceptance on the field. Harshit give his advice to fellow entrepreneurs in logistic industry in making it from zero to one and shares his views on building moats in technology startups.
Harshit Shrivastava - harshitshrivastava (LinkedIn), harshit_iiitkgp (Twitter)
Intugine - www.intugine.com/ (Web), intugine-technologies (LinkedIn), @intugine (Twitter)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Show notes
[00:00:17] What was Harishit’s motivation to start Intugine?
[00:02:31] What discoveries led Harshit to successfully pivot from B2C to a B2B segment?
[00:07:16] What is this visibility challenge within the supply chain industry? And how does Intiguine’s product solves this challenge?
[00:11:47] The various resolutions of location data being enabled and the 3 layers of location intelligence
[00:20:05] How well is the acceptance of the predictive layer among organizations?
[00:22:46] How to build moats in technology startups?
[00:25:11] Which among the three layers will be more focus going forward?
[00:26:32] Advice to fellow entrepreneurs who want to make it from zero to one in logistic industry.
Vijay Krishna (VK) is the co-Founder of WEGOT Utility Solutions which aims to reduce the water consumption by bringing about a much need behavioral change in the way people use water. WEGOT’s IoT based Smart Water Meters help manage water consumption and help save up to 50% of water in buildings.
In this episode, VK shares details about WEGOT’s product and features, and the benefit their users can enjoy and consequently how the product has shifted human behavior. He gives his view on how he overcome hurdles and how he build a product in cutthroat IOT technology domain. VK also gives advice to entrepreneurs in the IOT industry and shares his thought on how to build moats in the same.
Vijay Krishna, WEGOT – vijay-krishna (LinkedIn)
WeGot - https://www.wegot.in/ (Web), wegot-utility-solutions (LinkedIn), @WEGoTtech (Twitter)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)
Show Notes
[00:00:29] VK’s background and how he started with his startup WEGOT .
[00:02:37] What does the device do?What are the actions that users can take and the benefits that they can derive?[00:04:33] How user can segment that where user is using? How would user know that where user using more water?
[00:06:54] How does the product shift human behavior?
[00:08:23] How did WEGOT overcome the initial activation/installation hurdles?
[00:12:28] What are the major technologies at play in the product?
[00:14:43] With so much of data being captured, what is VK thoughts on utilizing analytics capabilities?
[00:16:31] How to build a competitive differentiation/moat in technology products?
[00:20:34] What are major challenges for WeGot now and their future vision?
[00:22:41] VK’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs in the IOT space
Allon Hammer, is the head of Data at VI which is the World Leading Enterprise-AI for Digital Health. VI leverages powerful tech to help people around the world stay healthy and active. Their powerful AI software helps digital health enterprises increase member engagement, retention, and LTV. VI's market-leading solution reaches over 30 million members daily.
Previously, Allon has been a Data Scientist and researcher with hands on experience in Deep learning, Machine Learning, NLP, Reinforcement Learning, Big Data technologies in cloud-based environments, Python and SQL
In this episode, Allon shares how they are providing AI-as-a-Service for health and wellness enterprises, to increase member engagement, retention, and LTV. He shares his thoughts on being AI first in strategy, on democratizing data science & using feature stores, his advise to entrepreneurs looking to build AI startups, how to assess technical feasibility in AI and build competitive differentiations.
Allon Hammer - allon-hammer (LinkedIn)
Vi-Labs - https://vi.co/
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojits (Twitter)
In this episode, we cover:
[00:00:46] What are VI's products,features and the benefits?
[00:01:57] Examples of what would health care company use VI for?
[00:03:12] Brief about each of VI's product.
[00:05:04] Allon’s thought on being AI first in strategy.
[00:11:30] Allon’s thoughts on the use of feature stores.
[00:15:11] What algorithms or models is VI using right now?
[00:20:23] Allon’s advice to entrepreneurs looking to make the zero to one journey
[00:24:55] How to assess technical feasibility of AI implementation?
[00:26:51] How to build competitive differentiation in AI startups?
Chirag is the Managing Partner of 8X Ventures and has 15+ years of experience in venture capital, startup mentoring, strategy design, strategy execution, organisation design, investment banking and business analytics. Through 8X Ventures he is investing and supporting DeepTech startups that will fundamentally change how industries and economies operate while striving to build a profitable, sustainable business in the long-term.
In this episode, Chirag shares his views on Deep tech domain, why 8X Ventures chose to go ahead with this domain, his advice to startups in Deep tech on things to avoid, what value 8X Ventures provides to its portfolio startups.
This episode was recorded live on Mentza, which is a unique take on social audio conversations wherein we are time-boxed to 25 mins, do check it out on your app store.
Chirag Gupta, 8X Ventures - chirag-gupta (LinkedIn)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojits (Twitter)
In this episode, we cover:
[00:01:29] How does 8X venture define deep tech?
[00:03:23] What made 8X Ventures take on deep tech domain when very few people are doing that right now?
[00:06:40] What are the ways that a startup can go about building moats in deep tech industry?
[00:08:44] How do you make deep tech pervasive toward for wider audience?
[00:11:00] Advice to entrepreneurs in deep tech domain looking to take their startup from zero to one?
[00:13:50] How does 8X Ventures venture assess the tech quality of deep tech startups?
[00:15:24] How is it evident at a very early stage from when a startup is doing just a few POCs, that it will go on to make a 10 X impact?
[00:18:01] What value does 8X Ventures provide to the startups who come onboard?
Dhinesh is the founder of Fabheads, which manufacturers Asia's first & only continuous fiber 3D printers, and in their journey have won multiple awards from the Government of India, DRDO, CII & others. In this episode, Dhinesh gives us an overview of Fabheads, the problem its solving, its features, and other details. He then highlights what he thinks are the top 3 things that technology hardware startups should focus on to enable their journey from zero to one. We end the discussion with what Dhinesh think is in the future for the 3D printing industry.
This episode was recorded live on Mentza, which is a unique take on social audio conversations wherein we are time-boxed to 20-25 mins, do check it out on your app store.
Dhinesh Kanagaraj, Fabheads - dhineshrk (LinkedIn)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojits (Twitter)
Himanshu is the co-founder of Devnagri, an AI-powered human translation platform. Devnagri exists to use technology and humans to translate the data available over the internet. It helps businesses and the government to reach real people who are not part of the internet because of the language barrier.
In this episode, Himanshu gives us an overview of Devnagri, the problem its solving, its features, and other details. He then highlights what he thinks are the top 3 things that founders should focus on to enable their journey from zero to one.
This episode was recorded live on Mentza, which is a unique take on social audio conversations wherein we are time-boxed to 20-25 mins, do check it out on your app store.
Himanshu Sharma, Devnagri - ihimansh (LinkedIn)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojits (Twitter), pronojit (Clubhouse)
Arjun is the co-founder of Courseplay, an AI-powered employee experience platform for 360-degree employee growth. Courseplay focuses on offering on-the-job, social, and formal learning to the workplace. Large enterprises and fast-growing startups are managing their entire skill and talent development lifecycle on Cousrseplay's unified talent experience platform and mobile apps.
On the show Arjun gives us an overview of Courseplay, the problem its solving, its features and other details. He then highlights what he thinks are the top 3 things that founders should focus on to enable their journey from zero to one and finally he ends with what he thinks creates a differentiation in today's AI world.
This show was recorded live on Mentza, which is unique take on social audio conversations wherein we are time-boxed to 20-25 mins, so do check it out on your app store.
Arjun Gupta, Courseplay - arjngpta (LinkedIn), arjngpta (Twitter)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojits (Twitter), pronojit(Clubhouse)
Ankur Mittal has 20+ years of experience with Fortune 50 companies & is a prominent figure in the Indian startup ecosystem. He co-founded Inflection Point Ventures in 2019 with the bold mission to democratize startup investing in India. On the show, he discusses the genesis & motivation behind IPV, shares his viewpoint on the future of democratized startup investing, future industries to look out for, how India will be a leading startup destination in the world, and many more.
Ankut Mittal, IPV - ankur-mittal-3ba773 (LinkedIn), ipventures.in (Website)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojits (Twitter), pronojit (Clubhouse)
Raghav Gupta is a co-founder at Nymble where he is on a mission to put a Private Chef in every kitchen by building countertop cooking robots. Nymble is backed by 021 Capital, Waterbridge Ventures, and was most recently part of the Accel Atoms program. In the show, Raghav touches upon his journey of building Nymble starting from the early days of problem discovery, finding the right market, developing a prototype, assessing the technical feasibility, and many other such aspects of building a deep tech product.
Nymble is currently running private alphas in the San Francisco Bay Area where their users are using their robot almost twice a day with plans of launching a private beta in July 2022. Listeners can learn more at www.eatwithnymble.com.
Raghav, Nymble - ragsgups (LinkedIn), ragsgups (Twitter)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojit (Clubhouse), pronojits (Twitter)
Pierre is the co-founder of ScrapingBee, a web scraping API startup. He bootstrapped it to $1mil ARR in around 3 years and by incorporating quite a few learnings from his earlier failed startups. On the show, he discusses those learnings, how to decide when to move on, how to build differentiation in a crowded market, how to go about building a SaaS product MVP, and much more.
Pierre, ScrapingBee - PierreDeWulf (Twitter)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojit (Clubhouse), pronojits (Twitter)
Timothy Porter is the CTO of Modtech Labs, which is on a mission to simplify visual content creation into one automated pipeline. It provides mobile+cloud-based software that makes 3D in minutes and is a revolutionary way of creating 3D content. On the show, Tim highlights his personal journey of more than a decade-spanning major brands like Gameloft, Sony, Disney, Two Bit Circus, and more. Bringing his expertise to a forward-thinking market on the edge of technology has expanded his ability to pioneer uncharted territory in AR, VR, MR, XR, IoT, AI, Networking, Volumetric Video, and more. Modtech Labs is his entrepreneurial endeavor toward that vision. He discusses major products of Modtech labs along with their unique features and highlights the entire journey from conception to fruition. His fun and energizing conversation style makes this an enjoyable listen as well.
1 Timothy Porter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothymporter/
2 Mod Tech Lab: https://modtechlabs.com/
3 Product demo: https://modtechlabs.com/demos/
4 Wefunder campaign: https://wefunder.com/mod.tech.labs
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojit(Clubhouse), pronojits (Twitter)
Hari is an angel investor focused on innovative startup teams. He practices lean startup principles and encourages founders to think global, act local and build an organizational culture suitable for innovation in startups. He is associated with Indian Angel Network (IAN), LetsVenture and IvyCap Ventures, among many others. On the show Hari talks about his entrepreneurial and angel investment journey till now. He shares insightful stories behind his major investments like Mukunda Foods (DosaMatic), Spinny, Wow Momo, Styledotme, Codeninja.ai, Zostel, Mpokket, Box8, Biggies Burger, Auntie Fung's, etc. He highlights what he looks for in startup founders and how he evaluates startups utilizing his custom-built "Investment Readiness Score" calculator.
Finally, he lets us know what his future industry bets are and he leaves us with his wisdom on the art of angel investing which for him is to "enjoy what you are doing & multiply money". This is an insightful one for all entrepreneurs, not to be missed.
Hari Balasubramanian - LinkedIn, www.bhari.com
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojit (Clubhouse), pronojits (Twitter)
Ankit is a Senior Product Manager & Fouding Member of Qure.ai, an healthcare AI startup. He lends insights into how they started on their path to finding the right problem to solve, to how they assessed the AI-problem fit and the technical feasibility of it in the early days. Ankit also shares his inputs about the technology behind the product and how they build their MVP. Finally he emphasizes on the important point on how to go about building AI teams and also gives some advise for aspiring AI product managers.
Ankit, Qure.ai - LinkedIn
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojit (Clubhouse), pronojits (Twitter)
This episode was hosted on Clubhouse on the Indian Startup Club - Link
Dr. Amritendu is an AI researcher and the co-founder of NeuroPixel.ai, an Indian startup that currently aims to build the future of fashion cataloging. In this episode, Dr. Amritendu walks us through his research experiences, his fight with cancer, going through the Entrepreneur First program, his startup story, the AI enabling the solution and future ambitions. More importantly, he calls upon the need to bridge the gap between research & industry and solve hard problems.
Dr. Armitendu Mukherjee, NeuroPixel.ai - amritendu-mukherjee (LinkedIn)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojit (Clubhouse), pronojits (Twitter)
Parikshit is leading data science & advanced analytics at HUL & Unilever South Asia. We discuss the FMCG sector in general, its opportunities & challenges, and how AI/ML is currently being used in this sector. Parikshit also sheds light on some keystone AI/ML products currently being used at Unilever and given its scale of operations it's quite interesting to learn about them. This episode was hosted at the clubhouse app on the Data & AI club. Be sure to check out the club and follow them along with the show guests to get to know about their latest work.
Parikshit, Unilever - parikshit-nag7 (LinkedIn), prithu7 (Clubhouse)
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojit (Clubhouse)
Data & AI Club - dataandai (Clubhouse)
Jibu Elias is one of the chief architects of INDAIai.gov.in, the national AI portal of India. Full of information, this episode is a treasure trove for anyone looking to gain insights into India's AI scene, especially from the industry & government's perspective. The portal itself is a "one-stop information shop" for everything AI in India and highly encourage interested participants to look and provide feedback. This episode was hosted at the clubhouse app on the Indian Startup Club. We were also joined by Praveen Mokkapati, Deputy Director NASSCOM and a principal driver of the Telangana AI mission along with the Govt. of Telangana. Be sure to check out the club and follow them along with the show guests (links below) to get to know about their latest work.
Jibu Elias, IndiaAI - jibuelias (LinkedIn), @jibuelias (Clubhouse)
Pankaj Jain, Indian Startup Club - pankajjain (LinkedIn), pjain (Clubhouse)
Indian Startup Club - clubhouse.com/club/indianstartupclub
Praveen Mokkapati, NASSCOM - mspraveen (LinkedIn), @desiaggie (Clubhouse)
Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojit (Clubhouse)
Note: There is a signal drop in the recording between 56 - 62 min, regret the inconvenience.
Rishabh is a Forbes 30 under 30 award winner and founder of Redwing Labs, a drone logistics startup which has garnered many awards from industry stalwarts like NASA, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Airbus. Rishabh gives us an overview of the drone logistics industry, its challenges & promises and the role that Redwings Labs is playing in this space. This episode was hosted on the clubhouse app on the small steps & giant leaps (SSGL) club. Also joining the session was Michael Mealling who is a VC at Starbridge, a prominent outfit in the SpaceTech investment arena. Be sure to check out the SSGL club and follow them along with the show guests Rishabh & Michael to get to know about their latest work.
Rishabh, Redwing Labs - @roborishabh
Michael Mealling, Starbridge VC - @mmealling
Pronojit Saha, DTM - @pronojit
This episode is a recording of the first ever session of DTM podcast on clubhouse. We had a discussion around the earth observation industry with all the three founders of Skyserve.ai, an Indian deep tech startup which is on a mission to democratize earth observation by providing easily accessible real-time insights at a cost that's more affordable for customers. Also joining us was Michael Mealling who is a VC at Starbridge, a prominent outfit in the SpaceTech arena. Be sure to follow them at below-mentioned clubhouse handles and get to know about their latest work.
Vishesh Vatsal, SkyServe.ai - @vishesh2021
Michael Mealling, Starbridge VC - @mmealling
Pronojit Saha, DTM - @pronojit
Vishesh is the co-founder of SkyServe.ai which is on a mission to democratize earth observation by providing easily accessible real-time insights at a cost that's more affordable for customers. In this episode Vishesh walks us through his startup story, the major use cases & insights that it delivers on, its technology behind those insights, the business model and future ambitions.
If you want to learn more about earth observation industry in general then be sure to also check out episode 20.
Vishesh is the co-founder of SkyServe.ai which is on a mission to democratize earth observation by providing easily accessible real-time insights at a cost that's more affordable for customers. In this episode he will give us an overview of the earth observation industry, its current state at world level and in India specifically. He highlights what challenges exist in the industry and also what opportunities lie ahead, especially in terms of AI/ML application.
Gagandeep is an AI researcher and the co-founder of Minus Zero, an Indian startup that aims to build the world's first level 5 autonomous passenger vehicle. In this episode, Gagandeep walks us through his startup story, its patent-pending technology, business model, and future ambitions.
LinkedIn: gagandeepreehal
Gagandeep is an AI researcher and the co-founder of Minus Zero, a startup that aims to build worlds first level 5 autonomous passenger vehicle. In this episode Gagandeep will gives us an overview of the autonomous vehicle industry, its current state at world level and in India specifically. He highlights what challenges exist in the industry and also what opportunities lie ahead.
LinkedIn: gagandeepreehal
Mark is an industry veteran of more than 2 decades and is currently working at ServiceNow, one of the largest digital workflow management organizations. Mark has developed a training course recommender which establishes a direct association with the topline of the business. On the show he will help us to deconstruct the problem and his methodology and in doing so provide a primer to data science practitioners in approaching and solving analytical problems.
Mark's LinkedIn Profile
Vikram has had an illustrious analytics career till now, will roles ranging from being the Analytics Lead at Fractal to being the Head of Analytics of two of the most well-known Indian startups - Delhivery (which is one of India’s largest e-commerce supply chain player) and Gaana (which is India's largest commercial music streaming service with over 200 million monthly users). Not surprisingly then he was awarded the 40 under 40 Data Scientist in India by Analytics India magazine recently. In this second part of the discussion, Vikram discusses about culture at Gaana, unique aspects of Gaana, his most fulfilling project till date, whats in future for analytics at Gaana and some sage advise for young practitioners.
Part 1 of the discussion : Link
LinkedIn Profile
Though leaders to follow in analytics: Srikanth Velamakanni
Vikram has had an illustrious analytics career till now, will roles ranging from being the Analytics Lead at Fractal to being the Head of Analytics of two of the most well-known Indian startups - Delhivery (which is one of India’s largest e-commerce supply chain player) and Gaana (which is India's largest commercial music streaming service with over 200 million monthly users). Not surprisingly then he was awarded the 40 under 40 Data Scientist in India by Analytics India magazine recently. On the show, Vikram will be letting us know about his journey in analytics till now, how he faced & overcame certain challenges, what he looks for in data scientists along with certain other fun facts, and what's in store in the future for Gaana and AI in general.
LinkedIn Profile
Though leaders to follow in analytics: Srikanth Velamakanni
Alex is a machine learning engineer and a serial entrepreneur. His latest startup Nansen.ai aims to combine two of the most hottest deep tech - Blockchain & Analytics. In this second part of a 2 part series, Alex outlays how Nansen.ai helps in the end-to-end crypto investor lifecycle and his future roadmap. He also shares his views on the current & future state of crypto markets and some personal musings. Links to few mentions in the episode is given below.
Part 1 of the discussion : Link
LinkedIn Profile
Thought leaders to follow in Blockchain
- Andrew Kang (@rewkang)
- Arthur Chung (@arthur_0x)
Alex is a machine learning engineer and a serial entrepreneur. His latest startup Nansen.ai aims to combine two of the most hottest deep tech - Blockchain & Analytics. In this first part of a 2 part series, Alex discussed what motivated him to start Nansen, how does Nansen help crypto-investors make better decisions and protects them and many other aspects of the blockchain ecosystem. Links to few mentions in the episode is given below.
LinkedIn Profile
Thought leaders to follow in Blockchain
- Andrew Kang (@rewkang)
- Arthur Chung (@arthur_0x)
Patents protect the inverter by granting them exclusive rights of an invention for a designated period in exchange for disclosure of the invention. However their applicability to AI lends some consideration. I am excited to have Santhosh with us today to shed more light on this. Santosh is an industry professional with experiences across caterpillar, Lennox Industries and now Philips. Recently he was awarded a patent for using an AI method to operate a HVAC system so as to save energy costs based on predicted temperatures. Santhosh will be drawing from his experiences to demystify the AI patent landscape for us.
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/santhoshselvam/
Patent examples: https://iptse.com/famous-patent-invention-examples/
Patent application process in India: http://www.ipindia.nic.in/; https://razorpay.com/learn/apply-for-patent-in-india/
Research existing patents: https://patents.google.com/; https://ipindiaservices.gov.in/publicsearch
Patent ROI:
1 https://gigaom.com/2014/01/30/google-paid-4b-for-patents-why-the-motorola-deal-worked-out-just-fine/
2 https://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/11/tech/gallery/absurd-inventions-mental-floss/index.html
On todays show we have with us Aditya who is the Operations & Logistics Analytics Manager at Swiggy, Indias largest and highest-valued online food ordering and delivery platform. Aditya will talk about how Swiggy utilizes location intelligence to pin-point accurate addresses of customers thereby ensuring a smooth delivery process and increasing customer satisfaction. He dives deep into the AI/ML approach implemented to address this use case and also reflects on his personal learnings and experiences at Swiggy.
Learn more about Aditya & his work here: https://in.linkedin.com/in/aditya-hk-b0596814
Peter is a rapid prototyping specialist and the co-founder of Mixpose, a multi-award winning startup (Google, NVIDIA among others) that is solving a very pertinent problem in today’s COVID world that of creating an engaging online interaction between instructors and their students, specifically for Yoga. Mixpose utilizes two of the hottest deep tech i.e. AI at edge and live streaming to help yoga instructors across the world to deliver high quality & highly engaging yoga classes. In the episode, Peter touches upon the AI/ML approach to detect yoga poses & highlights his startup experience till now with more focus on the importance of achieving product-market fit.
Website: www.mixpose.com
Article detailing the ML approach: https://www.hackster.io/mixpose/mixpose-722df5
Excited to introduce today's guest David, who is the VP of analytics at India's largest and highest-valued online food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy! An industry veteran of 20 years, David has held multiple leadership roles in analytics at Mu Sigma & currently Swiggy. On the show David will be letting us know about his journey in analytics, how he faced & overcame certain challenges, what he looks for in data scientists along with certain other fun facts and what's in store in future for Swiggy and AI in general. This is a show not to be missed!
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-zakkam/
Anton is currently pursuing his PhD from Norwegian Institute of Technology and conducting innovative research on the opportunities of blockchain solutions in health care and health science. His latest investigative research article on the state of Blockchain in healthcare is being well received and Anton will be sharing highlights from the same while helping us understand the basic components of a blockchain. Learn more about Anton and his work at the below links.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/anton-hasselgren
Link to his paper on Blockchain in Healthcare: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S138650561930526X#!
Ashwin is a serial entrepreneur with 17+ years of experience in working in multiple early stage startups building high scalable software systems. His latest venture - CustomFit.ai focuses on the B2B marketing segment and intends to capitalize on the $1B opportunity in this space. Ashwin will be discussing on what are some important use cases in the B2B marketing space and how CustomFit.ai caters to the same.
You can learn more about Ashwin's work on his LinkedIn profile and his company website below.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashwin-kumar-custom-fit/
Website: www.customfit.ai
Email: reach@customfit.ai
Samik is an industry veteran of more than 20 years having worked at organizations like Oracle, 247.ai, Quickride & others. In the episode he sheds light on one of the most trending topics in AI today - MLOps. Listen in to find out what MLOps is, how it is implemented in a business use case and how it makes data scientists' lives a lot easier enabling them to close the loop of the AI lifecycle. You can learn more about Samik's work on his LinkedIn profile below and also do try out the open source Spark library (link below) for automated Spark ML training.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samikr/
Spark Library: https://github.com/247-ai/FlashML
Roar is a ML scholar having rich experience in the O&G industry and currently the senior business developer at SINTEF, which is headquartered in Norway. It is one of Europe's largest research organisations, with multidisciplinary expertise in the fields of technology, the natural sciences and the social sciences. Roar helps us to deconstruct the O&G value chain, with special focus on oil well drilling and understand some of the AI/ML applications for the same. Learn more about his work at : https://twitter.com/roarny
Dr. Sebastian (@rasbt) is the Assistant Professor of Statistics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also a best selling author of the "Python Machine Learning" book and the creator of the popular "mlxtend" python library. On the show he talks about his latest research article highlighting how ML & AI approaches are being used for drug discovery, something quite prevalent in the COVID world today.
Article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1046202319302762
Learn more about Sebastian's work here.
- https://sebastianraschka.com
- https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=X4RCC0IAAAAJ
Note: I regret for my voice quality as the recording setup had to be changed last minute due to a COVID situation.
Guest: Abhishek Ghose, Senior Principal Data Scientist, 247.ai
Abhishek Ghose is the senior principal data scientist at 247.ai, a leader in conversational AI. Understanding customer "intent" is the most critical piece in a chatbot conversation and Abhishek highlights how AI, particularly new age transformer based NLP models like BERT, are enabling intent identification using very less data. Learn more about Abhishek's work at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhishek-ghose-36197624
Keywords: chatbots, conversational AI, natural language processing (NLP), intent classification, BERT, transformers
Guest: Ashokraj, Founder, Intelizest
In this weeks episode we speak to Ashokraj who is the CEO of Intelizest, an AI-Blockchain-IoT products and services company based out of Chennai, India. Among their top products is Rekochain which utilizes AI & Blockchain to facilitate supply chain operations and makes procurement streamlined and agile. In post Covid world, a new distinction in supply chain processes has emerged, those for essential and non-essential goods. Ashok highlights how Rekochain powered by its AI & Blockchain capabilities intends to capture value in this space.
Guest: Manuraj Jain, Founder, Money Club
In this weeks episode we speak to Manuraj who is the CEO of Money Club, a startup which is looking to innovate in the age-old industry of chit funds in India. Manuraj explains how his startup is using ML to improve the entire journey of a customer while participating in a chit fund and also how the government is providing an impetus to this industry by utilizing blockchain technology.
Chit funds are rotating saving cum borrowing schemes, where a group of people agree to deposit a certain sum of money for certain period of time in a private fund accessible to only that group. For an instance, there is a group of 10 members wherein each member is contributing Rs. 5000 every month. This group will pool up Rs. 50,000 (Rs.5000 x 10 members) every month. To pick this Rs.50,000 amount on the first month, everyone participates in a bidding. The member who bids the highest will get this amount. Suppose Mr. A bids Rs. 9,000 as interest in order to pick Rs. 50,000. In this case, he will get Rs. 41,000 (net) and his Rs. 9,000 will be equally distributed among his remaining 9 group members. Each remaining member will get Rs.1,000 as returns. This process takes place once in every month and the member who picked in first month cannot pick in subsequent months. Since there are 10 members, this chit fund will be active for 10 months.
Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha@gmail.com, pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), pronojit (Clubhouse), pronojits (Twitter)