Deeptech has become a key investing theme in India, and the country's differentiated capabilities has led to the emergence of new kinds of founders, believe venture capitalists focused on this segment.
At a panel discussion at TechSparks 2026, moderated by Shradha Sharma, Founder and CEO, YourStory and The Bharat Project, the panellists were of the view that bold new ideas are coming from founders and entrepreneurs.
Vishesh Rajaram, Managing Partner, Speciale Invest, said, “Everybody's so bold about coming out and doing it. I don't think early capital is going to hold anyone back anymore. I think we will see a lot more innovation coming out of the country.”
In the current context, artificial intelligence (AI) is dominating the headlines, attracting investor interest. The deeptech segment, in particular, offers different kind of opportunities. In addition, the geopolitical environment has created the need for self-reliance in critical technologies.
On the reason for the increased number of deeptech entrepreneurs, Mayuresh Raut, Co-founder & Managing Partner, Seafund, said, “There is still a window of opportunity of eight to 10 years.”
He noted that there were numerous gaps in multiple areas of the deeptech ecosystem, and entrepreneurs need to identify them and come out with the right products.
Anirudh Singh, General Partner, Avatar Venture Partners, cited an example of an India-based radiator company, which is supplying its products across the globe.
He further expounded that in segments like AI and data centres, it will be very challenging for India to match the capabilities of countries like the US and China. But the one advantage that the country has is the availability of talent, he added.
Abhishek Srivastava, General Partner, Kae Capital, noted that given the current geo-political situation it is important to be self-reliant in critical technologies, and this opens up new opportunities.
“It is going to be a bigger opportunity both for investors and founders as the country kind of shapes up for the next few decades,” he said.
The panellists were of the view that it is important for deeptech founders to identify niches where they have expertise and build their solutions around them. The traditional manner of creating products will no longer work, they said.
The VC panellists also highlighted the challenges that deeptech founders will face in their entrepreneurial journey.
Raut remarked that being a startup founder is probably the most arduous undertaking any human can undertake. “These guys (founders) just have an inhuman, almost extraterrestrial ability to just show up the next day, no matter how many knocks they get,” he said.
Rajaram said, “Nerve and patience are two qualities we've seen in the ones (founders) who have outlasted themselves and their businesses.”