Deep Tech Musings

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,

Links & References:

Gokul N A- n-a-gokul (LinkedIn)

Cynlr - cynlr.com, LinkedIn

Pronojit Saha, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)

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,

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,

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,

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

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,

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,

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,

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

Links:

Rob May - robmay (LinkedIn), @robmay (Twitter), [email protected] (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:

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,

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.

For episode transcript, topic-wise summary, and more – bit.ly/dtm-s3

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)