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Tag: entrepreneurship
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20 million Ranchos: Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala’s vision for achieving tech sovereignty for India
In this episode, I’m joined by Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, a doyen among India’s champions of technology-led innovation for the masses, to discuss his latest moonshot venture: the ITEL Foundation (Immersive Technology and Entrepreneurship Lab).
After decades of bridging academia and industry at the IIT Madras Research Park, over the last two years, Professor Jhunjhunwala has been chairing this ambitious industry consortium-led initiative to transform India into a global “product nation.”
We dive into ITEL’s unique model of forming scientific consortiums and nurturing young “Ranchos” to solve India’s most infrastructure problems – such as the need for affordable and reliable rapid mass transport, for example. Eliminating waterlogging in our cities after rains and floods, and slashing chemical fertilizer dependency in agriculture are other examples.
Join us as Professor Jhunjhunwala, who turned 73 last week, explains why achieving true technological sovereignty requires 20 million entrepreneurs who view failure as a mere stepping stone to success, a critical badge of experience. Discover how ITEL is building the future of Indian innovation, one impossible challenge at a time.
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Why Indian deep tech needs corporate R&D and M&A, Vinod Shankar explains
In my recent conversation with Vinod Shankar, founding partner at Java Capital, we discussed his note on how India could unlock a massive pool of capital and invest a trillion dollars in deep tech startups.
Here’s a viewpoint on one of the topics, how corporate R&D and M&A play an important role in the growth of deep tech startups in the advanced economies. And how that’s been missing in India, so far. -
Can India put a trillion dollars in deep tech? Vinod Shankar at Java Capital unpacks how
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10 pct challenge: Vinod Shankar at Java Capital on how India can put $1 trillion in deep tech
In today’s episode of Conversations, I’m joined by Vinod Shankar, co-founder of Java Capital, a venture capital firm that has carved a unique niche by focusing on deep tech and climate technology. Vinod’s journey is as specialized as his investments, moving from writing assembly code for mobile processors to leading a fund that backs moonshots in aerospace, silicon photonics, and advanced manufacturing.
Vinod recently ignited a lively debate in the startup ecosystem with his provocative essay, titled “I Want India to Win. Just Not With My Money.” He argues that India’s path to becoming a developed nation is being hindered by “sedimented” wealth. For example, consider one data point he highlights: while India’s wealthiest 1 percent control some $11.6 trillion, nearly 60 percent of those assets are frozen in real estate and gold.
In other words, not funding the future, he says. He also critiques India’s largest corporations for being “structurally allergic” to R&D risk, noting that global giants such as NVIDIA outspend the entire Indian corporate sector in a single quarter.
In this conversation we also talk about Java Capital’s next fund, their third, targeting Rs. 400 crore with a first close coming up, their “stacking” investment strategy, and Vinod’s urgent call for India’s ultra rich investors to allocate 10 percent of their net worth to domestic deep tech to secure the future of the nation’s technological sovereignty.
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Coming up: Vinod Shankar at Java Capital challenges India’s ultra rich to back deep innovation
Coming up in the next episode of Conversations at India Tech Report, Vinod Shankar, founding managing partner at Java Capital, discusses a note he wrote recently, calling on India’s ultra rich to back deep innovation in the country with just 10 percent of their money.
They can afford this, and he does so with his own money, Vinod says. The result of this collective effort, if it happens, could be the transformation of India’s science and engineering innovation landscape, he argues.
Catch the full interview right here on Tuesday, June 23 at 6 a.m. IST. Here’s a 90 second preview.
