Umesh Sachdev

From our PearX S25 cohort, meet Pravāh, the AI-native operating system for the electric grid When Mohak Mangal, Dhruv Suri, and Aman Gupta looked at the strain on the U.S. electric grid, they saw a system pushed to its limits. Exploding demand and unpredictable supply have made blackouts increasingly common. This costs the economy more than $150B a year, a number that could 10x in the next five years. Mohak Mangal and team founded Pravāh to help fix it. Their platform helps utilities and grid operators make real-time decisions on load, generation, and congestion, reducing blackout risks, optimizing power procurement, and bringing much-needed stability to the backbone of modern life. We’re proud to support the Pravāh team as they take on one of the toughest and most important infrastructure challenges of our time.

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A founder who has spent 32 Years building IP-Owned Tech in India's Defense Sector. Ashok Atluri, Founder of Zen Technologies Limited shares a growth story bootstrapped from Hyderabad: -Revenue: ₹60 Cr (FY21) → ₹930 Cr(FY24) -Market cap: 40 Cr (2012-13) → 13000 Cr today -Growth: 400X in 12 years Takeaways from our conversation: 1. India historically imported 65–70% of its defense equipment. Today, defense exports have grown more than 30× over the past decade, with the private sector contributing around 60% of exports. Domestic defense production has increased to ₹1.27 lakh crore, a 174% rise since FY 2014–15. 2. For over two decades, Zen built advanced simulators but struggled to sell them in India because single-vendor bids weren’t accepted. The IDDM policy in 2015 gave preference to IP-owning Indian companies and allocated 75% of the capital acquisition budget to local sourcing. And decades of R&D became a real market worth ₹200 billion. 3. Defense tech startups in India have raised $184 million in VC funding since 2020. Zen’s journey shows that IP-owned Tech built with self-funded R&D can build the most defensible advantage, similar to how Apple captures value through IP rather than manufacturing. 4. Zen’s anti-drone systems were proven in field operations, leading to export inquiries from over 20 countries. This mirrors the broader trend of India’s defense exports growing from ₹1,940 crore (FY14) to ₹21,083 crore (FY24). Field-tested solutions build trust far faster than lab demos or pilot projects. 5. Government fundings are rewarding innovation over manufacturing. Programs like iDEX provide up to ₹10 crore for proven concepts, while DRDO offers ₹50 crore per system under the Technology Development Fund. This shift allows companies to reinvest profits into next-generation R&D. 6. Ashok believes that not all technologies should be patented. Highly secretive or complex innovations can be reverse-engineered if patented. Instead, patent what is obvious to outsiders to protect your competitive edge. 7. Build with a focused approach on Pareto technologies with maximum impact. Instead of chasing every opportunity, Zen concentrated on the 20% of technologies delivering 80% of results, anti-drone systems and simulators. Prioritizing high-leverage areas compounds impact effectively. 8. Time market entry around overlooked gaps: In 2018, drones were a hot topic, but there was little attention on anti-drone systems. Zen entered this gap and was ready when the need became urgent, from regional conflicts to domestic security. Opportunities often lie where others are silent. 9. Create policies around your innovation: Self-funded R&D firms face unique risks that conventional procurement rules often overlook. Zen advocated for new categories rather than adapting breakthrough technologies to unsuitable frameworks, ensuring their innovations could be evaluated on merit. Full Episode https://lnkd.in/gnAFEj3f

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Meet the Tycoons building India's "Second Act" in DeepTech and AI - 2026 We are witnessing a fascinating transition. Serial founders are taking their IPO winnings and "war-room" experience to solve problems that were previously considered "too hard" for the Indian ecosystem. Here are the 6 heavyweight insights into what the Tycoons are building next: 1) Deepinder Goyal (Zomato) - TEMPLE He is building a brain-health wearable that tracks cerebral blood flow in real-time 🧠 He wants to prove the "Gravity Ageing Hypothesis" - the idea that gravity affects brain blood flow over decades. Deepinder wants to make brain health as trackable as heart rate. Traction: He’s invested $25M of his own wealth and recently raised a $54M round at a $190M valuation. He’s currently hiring "engineer-athletes" with <16% body fat to join the mission. Expect a limited rollout by late 2026 🧬 2) Mukesh Bansal (Myntra/Cult.fit) - NURIX He is building an AI-native services platform building "custom AI agents" for enterprises 🤖 He wants move from "Physical Wellness" to "Digital Intelligence." Nurix builds voice and text agents that handle sales and support with human-like nuance. Already raised $27.5M from Accel and General Catalyst. They are currently operational with an annual revenue run rate of approx ₹5.35 Cr as they scale their Series A ⚙️ 3) Aman Gupta (boAt) - OFFBEAT STUDIOS A new entrepreneurial "Aman 2.0" venture launched following his transition to a non-executive role at boAt 🎬 While the exact "product" is in stealth, Aman’s vision is to back "bold, hungry, and impatient" ideas that disrupt traditional consumer categories. Launched on March 3, 2026. Aman has officially stepped away from daily boAt ops to lead this, marking a shift from "Volume Hardware" to "Offbeat Innovation" 🎧 4) Mukund Jha (Dunzo) - EMERGENT An "agentic vibe-coding" platform that builds full-stack apps via AI 💻 He wants to make software development as easy as chatting. Mukund is moving from the "Logistics of Goods" to the "Logistics of Code." $100M total funding raised (Series B) as of Jan 2026. They’ve hit a $100M Annual Run Rate in record time, proving that "Vibe-coding" is the new industry standard ⚡ 5) Shashank ND (Practo) - CENT He is constructing a preventive health startup that uses AI-assisted whole-body MRI and 120+ biomarkers to screen for 300+ conditions 🛡️ To catch cancer and heart disease before you even feel a symptom. It's the "Antivirus" for the human body. Raised $5M in Seed funding (March 2026). They’ve already completed 1,500+ scans with 26% showing meaningful findings. Physical centers are opening in Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai now 🏥 ➡️ The Insight: The "Second Act" of these tycoons is a masterclass in Risk Evolution. They are using their personal capital to fund scientific bets that could define the 2030s. They aren't just building companies - they are building the technological "Sovereignty" of a new India 💎

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A Wake-Up Call for the #CPaaS Ecosystem: Undercutting on #RFPs & Silent #Data Leaks? While we welcome Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) ’s renewed focus on #antispam regulations, which aims to create a cleaner digital messaging ecosystem, there’s a glaring issue being overlooked—one that could compromise both user #privacy and the #financial viability of ethical players in the #SMS aggregation and CPaaS space. Across India, several banks and government departments are issuing RFPs for enterprise #messaging services. The intention is sound—select vendors via competitive bidding. However, what’s concerning is that some SMS #aggregators are bidding at rates far below cost, sometimes at fractions of a paisa per SMS. Let’s be realistic: There’s no way to sustain service delivery at those margins unless there’s an alternative revenue stream in play. And unfortunately, that stream often comes from the #unauthorized #monetization of sender and receiver data—selling databases, enabling profiling, or even worse, fuelling grey-market promotional messaging. What’s the impact? • Legitimate aggregators who play by the rules are forced out of contention. • Government and banking users’ data is at risk of compromise. • The very trust that anti-spam regulations aim to build is eroded by these backdoor practices. Why isn’t this being regulated? If TRAI is serious about consumer protection, then addressing only the symptom (spam) and not the disease (unethical business models) is insufficient. We need: 1. Audits of #RFP pricing versus cost benchmarks 2. Data governance policies to accompany every enterprise SMS contract 3. Blacklisting of vendors involved in data leakage or unauthorized data use 4. A separate framework within anti-spam regulation focusing on aggregator-level compliance It’s time to call out these malpractices and ensure that enterprise messaging remains #secure, #ethical, and sustainable. Otherwise, we risk turning a powerful #communication tool into a dangerous vulnerability. #CPaaS #SMS #DataPrivacy #TRAI #DigitalTrust #EnterpriseMessaging #GovTech #BankingInnovation #TelecomRegulation #StopDataLeaks

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At Atomic Capital, we are committed to backing exceptional founders building for the next wave of India’s consumption story. The country’s consumer market is expected to more than double by 2030, reaching over $4 trillion, with fashion emerging as one of the fastest-growing categories. By 2030, India’s apparel market is projected to cross $125 billion, driven by a rising middle class, increased digital adoption, and evolving consumer preferences. Fashion, particularly women's apparel, will play a significant role in this growth. Despite being a highly competitive category, we believe there's still white space for brands that combine customer insight, product excellence, and operational efficiency. We are incredibly excited to announce our investment in ANNY. From our very first interaction with the founding team, we felt there was strong alignment in vision, strategy, and focus on building a lean, sustainable, and scalable business. Here's why we chose to partner with them: 1. Aligned Operating Philosophy: The founding team - Japjot, Aveen, and Rahul, shares our belief in building a capital-efficient brand. They focus on solving scale challenges with systems, data, and discipline—not by burning cash. From day one, they valued our partnership beyond just the capital contribution. 2. Distinctive Product Supply: Anny excels at the intersection of freshness × fabric × fit. Thanks to rigorous efforts in curation and sizing, Anny has achieved some of the lowest return and cancellation rates we’ve seen in the category. 3. Lean Inventory Model: The team has cracked a unique approach to managing inventory. Their system allows for timely sourcing of new designs that often become hero products—ensuring working capital efficiency while minimizing stockouts and lost sales. 4. High Consumer Love: With 100% of revenue coming through their own website and a substantial share from repeat customers, the brand has cultivated a deep and loyal customer base. 5. Efficient Acquisition Strategy: Anny has built a robust content engine, helping consumers visualize style and fit on real people. This “real-world relatability” has significantly improved conversion and reduced acquisition costs. 6. A Complementary Team: The founding team brings the perfect blend of design and curation, finance and analytics, and technology—a necessary trifecta to scale a modern, digitally native apparel brand. The founder-market fit here is strong and clear. 7. Strong Revenue Momentum: The team has scaled 7x in 12 months. Consistent growth, increasing repeats, and strong unit economics are a testament to the brand's product-market fit and sharp execution. In our experience, operational discipline, new launch velocity, a data-driven approach, and sharp storytelling can collectively build an enduring brand in Fashion. We believe the Anny team is uniquely positioned to do just that. Atomic Capital Nikhil Patil Manish Jain #ConsumerBrands #Fashion #D2C #IndiaConsumption #AtomicCapital

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📢 TRAI releases India’s first manual to rate properties on digital connectivity With 80% of mobile data consumed indoors, ensuring strong in-building networks is now mission-critical for work, education, healthcare, and daily services. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has launched the Manual for Rating of Properties for Digital Connectivity — a standardised framework to assess, certify, and future-proof buildings for high-speed, reliable digital access. 🔆 Salient Features of the Manual ➡️ Property Categories: Separate frameworks for residential/commercial (Category A) and high-footfall public infrastructure (Category B). ➡️ Nine & Seven Key Criteria: Covering fibre readiness, in-building coverage, service performance, resilience, user experience, and more. ➡️ Transparent Scoring: Weighted sub-parameters for objective ratings, public verification via QR code. ➡️ Compliance & Renewal: Mandatory registration for DCRAs/Property Managers, with periodic reassessment. ➡️ Dispute Resolution: Multi-stage appeal process, including TRAI-led review. ➡️ Future-Proofing Guidelines: Advisory on integrating DCI at the design stage, supporting 5G, IoT, and IPv6. 📄Read the full Voice&Data news report: https://lnkd.in/dnAsQYFZ #DigitalConnectivity #TRAI #Telecom #5G #InBuildingCoverage #SmartBuildings Jyotiraditya M Scindia Anil Kumar Lahoti Department of Telecommunications ( DOT )

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On February 18, during India's AI Impact Summit, a company called Sarvam shipped a 105-billion-parameter model trained from scratch in India on government-subsidized GPUs, designed for 22 Indian languages. It outperforms DeepSeek-R1 on certain benchmarks at one-sixth the size. The same summit produced $200 billion in investment pledges from Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Reliance. The headlines were about the money. The real story was Sarvam. This post examines in detail why it took this long, what changed, and whether Sarvam is the first crack in an old equilibrium or a lonely exception. "Indians Rule Big Tech. Why Can’t India Build?": Link in comments.

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