Deep Tech Musings

PRONOjit Saha
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Deep Tech Musings

Get actionable and tactical insights to take your Deep Tech startup from Idea to Traction (0 to 1). For detailed episode insights like summaries, quotes, etc head over to substack - pronojits.substack.com Deep Tech Musings is a podcast where we talk to exciting startup founders, professionals, and investors in the Deep Tech space (AI, Robotics, IoT, Blockchain, etc). Consider it a platform where one can discover new deep tech use cases and learn novel ways such technologies are being used to solve real-world problems, creating value.

  1. DTM E61. Sentience Before Intelligence: Rethinking the Approach to Computer Vision - Gokul, CynLr

    5 OCT

    DTM E61. Sentience Before Intelligence: Rethinking the Approach to Computer Vision - Gokul, CynLr

    Before founding CynLr in 2019, Gokul began his career at National Instruments (NI) and worked as an SW Architect & Specialist in Vision, RF, and Embedded systems. He was responsible for designing algorithms serving customers across Europe, Taiwan, and India. After a consulting stint and successfully solving 70+ customer problems that were previously unsolved vision conundrums, Gokul & Nikhil started CynLr in 2019 to productize their Vision approach. At CynLr, Gokul along with Nikhil, is building the org to address technology & industry gaps in achieving the idea of Universal Factories. This requires foundationally rebuilding Vision from the understandings of neuroscience to custom building imaging systems involving 400+ unique parts, 200+ partners from across the globe and reinventing the industry framework to handle these operations, unique supply chain, internal tools, processes and talent. From a 2-member team CynLr has grown to a 50+ member team with a design center in Switzerland, Robotics lab in India & Sales office in US. CynLr is $5M funded and will be further growing into a 120+ member team. CynLr will be reaching a revenue of $18M in 2027. This is a goldmine of an episode for anyone interested in AI and in particular the computer & machine vision industry, its past present and future and its real life applications. Do not miss it! On this episode we discuss, Gokul’s personal journey and what motivated him & Nikhil to start CynLr Founding story of CynLr Vision as we know it: history of computer vision, drawing parallels with human vision, shortcoming in current vision applications What is the state of the art in machine vision now and what is CynLr doing to bridge the gap between machine vision and human vision CynLr’ Vision foundational stack and major technologies at play What does it mean to have machines that are intuitive about objects The ChatGPT moment for vision How would the vision industry evolving in the next 3-5 years? What's in the immediate future for CynLr? Links & References: Gokul N A- n-a-gokul (LinkedIn) Cynlr - cynlr.com, LinkedIn Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)

    52 min
  2. DTM E60. Foraying into VC Industry and Enabling Deep Tech Startups in India- Vasan, TDK Ventures

    27 SEPT

    DTM E60. Foraying into VC Industry and Enabling Deep Tech Startups in India- Vasan, TDK Ventures

    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)

    30 min
  3. DTM E59. Real Time ML & Generative AI Edge Computing Platform - Varun, NimbleEdge

    7 JUN

    DTM E59. Real Time ML & Generative AI Edge Computing Platform - Varun, NimbleEdge

    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)

    35 min
  4. DTM E58. The Future of AI Chips - Dr. Naveen Verma, Encharge.ai

    16 MAY

    DTM E58. The Future of AI Chips - Dr. Naveen Verma, Encharge.ai

    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?

    36 min
  5. DTM E57. The Future of VC & Deep Tech in India, Transitioning into a VC Career and Understanding the VC Structure - Arjun Rao, Speciale Invest

    20/09/2023

    DTM E57. The Future of VC & Deep Tech in India, Transitioning into a VC Career and Understanding the VC Structure - Arjun Rao, Speciale Invest

    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

    53 min
  6. DTM E56. Building a Healthcare AI Startup From 0 to 1 and Taking it to the World - Dr. Geetha Manjunath, NIRAMAI Health Analytix

    17/09/2023

    DTM E56. Building a Healthcare AI Startup From 0 to 1 and Taking it to the World - Dr. Geetha Manjunath, NIRAMAI Health Analytix

    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)

    52 min
  7. DTM E55. Building a Deep Tech Focused Rs 702cr Fund and Exploring Deep Tech Shifts - Manish Singhal, pi Ventures

    08/09/2023

    DTM E55. Building a Deep Tech Focused Rs 702cr Fund and Exploring Deep Tech Shifts - Manish Singhal, pi Ventures

    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 For episode summary & more, click here - ⁠bit.ly/dtm-mp 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?

    36 min
  8. DTM E54. The Future of User Feedbacks, Customer Acquisitions, and Moats in an AI First World- Rob May, BrandGuard.ai

    01/09/2023

    DTM E54. The Future of User Feedbacks, Customer Acquisitions, and Moats in an AI First World- Rob May, BrandGuard.ai

    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?

    44 min
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About

Get actionable and tactical insights to take your Deep Tech startup from Idea to Traction (0 to 1). For detailed episode insights like summaries, quotes, etc head over to substack - pronojits.substack.com Deep Tech Musings is a podcast where we talk to exciting startup founders, professionals, and investors in the Deep Tech space (AI, Robotics, IoT, Blockchain, etc). Consider it a platform where one can discover new deep tech use cases and learn novel ways such technologies are being used to solve real-world problems, creating value.

Information

  • Creator
    PRONOjit Saha
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    62
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © PRONOjit Saha
  • Show Website
    Deep Tech Musings

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