India Tech Report: In Conversation

Conversations with founders, investors, industry leaders, and other stakeholders building India’s deep tech and climate tech ecosystems. indiatechreport.in

  1. Engineer, operator, VC: Ravi Jain at TDK Ventures on India’s deep tech scene

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    Engineer, operator, VC: Ravi Jain at TDK Ventures on India’s deep tech scene

    In this episode, Ravi Jain, an Investment Director in India at TDK Ventures, joins me for a wide-ranging discussion on the current state and trajectory of India’s deep tech ecosystem. Jain gives us a micro capsule on the history of TDK, developing technologies for sectors spanning automotive, energy storage, and power electronics, and the strategic rationale for launching its corporate venture arm in 2019. He talks about TDK Ventures’ mandate to invest in startups poised to shape emerging markets and tomorrow’s standards, noting the recent expansion of the firm’s India operations, and a global portfolio that includes investments across sectors such as semiconductors, advanced materials, robotics, quantum technologies, AI, mobility, climate tech and clean energy and agri-tech. Jain addresses macroeconomic drivers, including government policy, manufacturing incentives, and evolving founder ambitions, that position India for accelerated growth in deep tech. He explains the sector’s optimism despite talent and funding challenges, and highlights the increasing sophistication of Indian deep tech founders, their pragmatism, and the snowballing effect of policy and market maturation. He also talks about TDK Ventures’ approach to hardware versus software startups, university-driven entrepreneurship, and the imperative for foundational work in AI. Jain also shares reflections from his own career, distilling practical advice for future deep tech entrepreneurs navigating India’s rapidly changing technology landscape.   Also listen to: India Tech Report: Daily Morning Brief.   To subscribe to my posts: India Tech Report

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  2. RISC-V and beyond: GS Madhusudan at Incore Semiconductors on building India's chip industry future

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    RISC-V and beyond: GS Madhusudan at Incore Semiconductors on building India's chip industry future

    My guest in today’s episode is GS Madhusudan, Co-Founder and CEO of Incore Semiconductors, a company at the forefront of processor IP innovation in India. With nearly four decades of experience in the technology sector, Madhusudan has played a significant role in shaping India's semiconductor landscape. Before co-founding Incore in 2018, he managed the Shakti processor project at IIT Madras, which helped build foundational expertise for commercial processor design in the country. Incore Semiconductors, incubated at the institute, emerged from this ecosystem, focusing on RISC-V architecture to offer customisable processor IP for applications ranging from consumer electronics to automotive and industrial settings. Under Madhusudan's leadership, Incore is combining technical advancement with practical business strategies, offering solutions for secure, fault-tolerant, and AI-optimised processors. The company has developed a flexible SOC generator platform and collaborates with multiple foundries, supporting customers from IP licensing to product tape-out. Incore is backed by the well-known VC firm Peak XV Partners. Madhusudan remains an active advisor to government agencies. He emphasises the importance of talent development, marketing and product management, and practical deployment in India's quest for a stronger presence in the global semiconductor market. Some chapters (00:00) Building India's Semiconductor Industry (03:04) The Shakti Project and InCore's Foundation (06:09) Understanding RISC-V Architecture (08:54) Evolving Beyond Proprietary Processes (11:46) The Role of Marketing and Product Management (14:43) India's Semiconductor Opportunities (18:07) Challenges in the Semiconductor Market (20:52) The Importance of Talent Development (23:59) Future Prospects for Indian Semiconductor Startups (27:03) Navigating the Chip Business Landscape (29:44) Advice for Aspiring Semiconductor Professionals

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  3. Abhijit Bhutey and Vishal Reddy on Inbound Aerospace's microgravity platform in space

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    Abhijit Bhutey and Vishal Reddy on Inbound Aerospace's microgravity platform in space

    In this episode, I’m joined by Abhijit Bhutey and Vishal Reddy, co-founders of Inbound Aerospace, a startup incubated at IIT Madras. The discussion covers the origins of their journey—from an academic collaboration focused on microgravity research to building a company designed for commercial space experimentation. They started simply with how the idea came to Arvind IB, their fellow founder, when as a PhD student at IIT Madras, he was exploring microgravity through drop tower experiments. The idea became a startup when Aravind was joined by Vishal, whose background includes graduate studies in the United States, and Abhijit, a former pilot with the Indian Navy who aspired to space entrepreneurship. In this conversation they explain the challenges and opportunities in creating usable microgravity platforms, detailing Inbound Aerospace’s mission to develop a reusable spacecraft that will carry research projects to low earth orbit and bring experiments back safely to earth. Abhijit and Vishal give us insights into microgravity's usefulness in biotech, materials science, and semiconductors, and explain how their vehicle is being designed for efficient re-entry and autonomous landing. The founders also share early milestones, including team building, subsystem testing, and initial funding, and reflect on broader trends and gaps in the Indian space-tech ecosystem.

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Conversations with founders, investors, industry leaders, and other stakeholders building India’s deep tech and climate tech ecosystems. indiatechreport.in

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