There are challenges beyond importing sophisticated components that India’s deep tech startups can’t yet source locally. Some of these challenges are equally or more fundamental.
I had a chance to get some insights on this from Apoorv Shaligram, founder and CEO at e-TRNL Energy, recently. Apoorv, his fellow founder Uttam Sen, and their team are innovating new cell architectures to make cells, batteries and their applications safer, more reliable and better alternatives to fossil fuel.
They are backed by well-known investors including Speciale Invest, Micelio, Navam Capital, Indian Angel Network, and Anicut. Check out the related video for the full conversation with Apoorv. Here’s a one-minute view on how the real science and engineering knowhow underlying the products that many Indian deep tech startups are developing has to be acquired ground up.
Barriers to not just EV adoption, but beyond, in terms of widespread use of larger electric batteries the same way we’ve adopted smartphones, for example. What factors are holding adoption back? Apoorv Shaligram, founder and CEO at e-TRNL Energy in Bengaluru, offers a quick point here. He identifies convenience and safety as the primary limiters for electric battery tech adoption in India. Check out the related post for the full conversation with Apoorv, who with his fellow founder Uttam Sen and their team, is innovating new cell architectures to make cells, batteries and their applications safer, more reliable and better alternatives to fossil fuel.
So, this morning, I drove up to the new office that Apoorv Shaligram and Uttam Kumar Sen and their team at e-TRNL Energy have set up – still being given some final touches before a formal inauguration soon.
Sat down with Apoorv to record the next episode of Conversations. And it’s always an awesome experience to do this in-person, in whatever conditions present themselves onsite, in terms of light and sound. (I did carry two Neever panels and my DJI wireless mics, and more on that in a separate note.)
I’ve had the privilege of being acquainted with this deep-tech entrepreneur duo – IIT Bombay alumni – almost from the time they set up e-TRNL and, in one early conversation a few years ago, they’d tried to help me understand the tech innovations they had in mind.
Today, we caught up in the context of their recent announcement of having raised Rs. 27.4 crore (About $3 million) in seed funding, led by IAN Group (Indian Angel Network), with Navam Capital, and existing investors Speciale Invest, Micelio and others also joining in.
We also spoke about the funding experience — what’s changed, what worked, best practices and so on. Catch all of that in the full conversation right here, or wherever you get your podcast, on Friday, Feb. 20.
Here’s a 90-second preview, with Apoorv explaining 3DEA, their 3D electrodes architecture.
By the way, I also just started a WhatsApp channel for anyone who prefers to keep track of their deep tech news and views that way.
Daily brief on deep tech and climate tech news from India and around the world
Proteus, Amazon’s first fully autonomous robot.
Amazon deploys one million robots, launches AI to boost warehouse efficiency
Amazon has surpassed the deployment of one million industrial robots, marking a major automation milestone as its latest system began operations in a Japanese fulfillment center, the Association for Advancing Automation reports.
Amazon also introduced DeepFleet, a generative AI model designed to optimize robot coordination across more than 300 global facilities, improving travel efficiency by 10 percent. More than 700,000 employees have been retrained to work alongside robots, reflecting Amazon’s ongoing integration of advanced robotics and AI into its operations.
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Genesis AI emerges from stealth with $105 million to build universal robotics AI platform
Genesis AI, a global physical AI research lab, has launched with $105 million in seed funding co-led by Eclipse Ventures and Khosla Ventures, the Canadian venture said in a press release.
The company aims to develop a universal robotics foundation model and a horizontal platform for general-purpose physical AI, using a proprietary physics simulation engine to generate high-quality synthetic data.
Genesis AI’s approach seeks to automate a broad range of physical tasks, addressing the vast, largely unautomated global labor market.
Catalio Capital closes $400 million fourth fund to back innovative healthcare startups
Catalio Capital Management has closed its fourth venture fund, Catalio Nexus Fund IV, with over $400 million in commitments from global institutional investors, the New York firm said in a press release. The fund will support breakthrough biomedical technology companies, including 16 early investments such as PinkDx and Superluminal Medicines.
Catalio’s strategy focuses on partnering with leading scientists and entrepreneurs to launch and grow life sciences startups, even as the biotech sector faces a challenging funding environment.
Flexible zinc–ion batteries with new hydrogel electrolyte maintain stable voltage even when bent
Researchers at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have developed a flexible aqueous zinc–ion battery using a novel hydrogel electrolyte made from urea and zinc acetate, Tech Xplore reports.
The battery’s hydrogel can stretch up to 557% and withstand significant compression, maintaining stable voltage even when bent to 180°. This innovation addresses durability and leakage issues, making the battery ideal for portable and wearable devices while remaining cost-effective and eco-friendly.
Indian scientists develop lanthanum-doped silver niobate for next-generation supercapacitors
A team led by Dr. Kavita Pandey at Bengaluru’s Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, in collaboration with Aligarh Muslim University, has engineered a lanthanum-doped silver niobate material that dramatically boosts supercapacitor performance, according to a press release from India’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
The innovation delivers 118 percent energy retention and 100 percent coulombic efficiency, which is a measure of total charge extracted from an electrochemical device during discharge versus the total charge put in during charging.
The research team demonstrated a prototype successfully powering an LCD display. This breakthrough, published in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds, could advance high-efficiency, eco-friendly energy storage for electronics and renewable systems.
Climeworks raises $162 million to expand direct air capture tech for carbon removal
Climeworks has raised $162 million in equity funding, bringing its total raised to more than $1 billion, according to a press release from the Swiss venture. This is the most for any pure-play carbon removal venture, Tech Funding News notes.
The investment, led by BigPoint Holding and Partners Group, will accelerate Climeworks’ rollout of its Generation 3 direct air capture technology and global expansion. Climeworks aims to capture 1 billion tons of CO₂ by 2050, positioning itself as a leader in permanent, verifiable carbon removal solutions.
“Direct Air Capture has gone from experiment to essential, and we’re focused on scaling it,” Christoph Gebald, co-CEO and co-founder of Climeworks said in the press release. The company has a hybrid business model that combines long-term innovation and present-day commercial applications of its technology to generate revenue, he added.
In Conversation
In-depth conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders and other stakeholders building India’s deep tech and climate tech ecosystems.
Takeaways from conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders and other stakeholders building India’s deep tech and climate tech ecosystems.
