Akshat Rathee

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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Natasha Malpani Launches ₹200 Crore Fund to Power India’s AI Startups Former Kae Capital partner Natasha Malpani has launched Boundless Ventures, an early-stage venture fund with a corpus of ₹200 crore, dedicated to supporting homegrown AI-native startups across India. The fund will focus on pre-seed and seed-stage investments in companies innovating across consumer AI, infrastructure, agent tooling, healthcare, logistics, deep tech, and make-in-India hardware. Boundless has already written its first cheques to startups including Superhealth, Armatrix, PierSight, Knot, and two stealth ventures in AI infrastructure and consumer AI. Beyond capital, the fund promises to bring narrative and network support to founders. As Malpani puts it, India today has a once-in-a-generation advantage talent density, digital rails, and ambition to build global AI leaders from day one. At Startup Veda, we’re thrilled to see local capital fueling the AI frontier. This fund signals rising maturity in India’s venture ecosystem—placing conviction behind AI-first founders well before the rest of the world catches on. Join the conversation: Which early-stage AI ventures excite you the most? How powerful is the mix of capital + storytelling for building AI startups? #Startup #AI #VentureCapital #DeepTech #StartupIndia #FounderStories

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Based on the BharatNext Accelerator Investor Survey Analysis, here is a bullet point summary highlighting key investor preferences and event details: The data stems from the Investor Survey Analysis conducted by the #BharatNextAccelerator, India’s First District Startup Venture Studio Initiative, powered by Amrit Mehsana Startup & Innovation Mission. The analysis gathered 19 responses across various metrics. Investment Focus Areas: Sectors of Interest: The most preferred sector for investment is AI/ML & DeepTech (26.3%). The second most preferred sector is D2C / Consumer Products (21.1%). HealthTech & MedTech is also a significant area of interest (15.8%). Funding Preferences: Preferred Stage: Investors overwhelmingly favor startups in the Early Revenue stage, representing 78.9% of responses. The next preferred stage is Growth Stage (15.8%). Investment Ticket Size: There is a near-equal preference for two distinct ticket sizes: ₹50 Lakhs – ₹1 Crore (26.3%) and ₹3 Crores – ₹5 Crores (26.3%). Investment tickets of ₹1 Crore – ₹3 Crores are also highly sought after (21.1%). Interaction & Participation: Participation Format: A majority of investors prefer Physical Meeting / Demo Day (57.9%) over Online (One-to-one Startup Interaction) (42.1%). Investment Commitments on Demo Day: While a minority say 'No' (26.3%) to signing commitments on Demo Day, the vast majority (68.4%) are "Open to discussion" regarding signing investment commitments. Meeting Logistics: Preferred Time Slot: The most preferred time slot for interactions is the Afternoon (12 PM – 4 PM), accounting for 47.4% of responses. Preferred Duration: Most investors prefer a brief meeting duration of 30 Minutes (73.7%). Invitation to Upcoming Event: Join the #BharatNext Investment Pitching Festival on 09 Oct 2025. The event will be held at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference, Mehsana, North Gujarat. Amrit Mehsana Startup & Innovation Mission #StartupMehsana #startupindia Sumeet Jarangal Abhishek Singh|Shradha Sharma|Milapsinh Jadeja|Sushil Sharma|Mihir Joshi|Jimish Kapadia|Mayuresh Raut|Amit Singal|Pranay Mathur|CA Swati Panchal|Amal P S|Jeffrey A. Stephens|Janne Rauramo|Chirag Patel|Sanni patel|Yamal Vyas|Dr.Panneerselvam ( PS ) Madanagopal|Jeet V.|Dr. Preet Deep Singh

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Anthropic just raised $13B Series F. For perspective: that’s more than double what all Indian startups combined have raised in 2025 so far. AI capital flows in US on a completely different scale compared to the rest of the world.

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#SEBI just clipped Angel Wings. And Founders should be thankful. SEBI’s recent New Rule to restrict #angelfund participation to Accredited Investors* has sparked concern across the startup ecosystem. Many believe it will reduce the flow of early stage capital. Others feel it goes against the idea of broadening participation in angel investing. But take a closer look, especially from a founder’s point of view, and the picture starts to shift. This change may not reduce capital. It may simply improve its quality. Earlier, the eligibility to invest through an angel fund was based on a self-declared ₹2 crore net worth, excluding the primary home. That bar was relatively low. And as a result, a lot of individuals started showing up, not because they had experience or real conviction, but because they did not want to miss out. FOMO brought them in. Startups ended up paying the price. SEBI’s shift to Accredited Investors changes that. It raises the threshold. Investors will now need to meet stricter income or net worth criteria and go through a formal accreditation process. Yes, this will reduce the number of angels in the ecosystem. But the ones who remain will be serious about investing. They will bring context, experience, and capital that actually moves the needle. Ask any founder who has raised from 15 or 20 angels to fill a ₹1 crore round: You spend weeks pitching. You convince dozens of people. And what you get is a bunch of ₹50K cheques that come with expectations, but not impact. Requests for board seats. Weekly update demands. Advisory equity asks without real involvement. Same pitch. Same effort. Very little return on time. This is where SEBI’s move helps. It does not block capital. It filters it. Founders will now deal with fewer angels, but ones who bring more conviction, more clarity, and write cheques that actually matter. Fewer names on the cap table. More value in the room. #Founders: How has your experience been raising from #angels? Have smaller cheques added more value or more overhead? And do you see SEBI’s move helping or hurting your next raise? #EarlyStageCapital ##AngelNetwork #StartupEcosystem #StartupFunding

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🚨 RBI’s New Co-Lending Directions, 2025 – Effective Jan 1, 2026 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued new Co-Lending Arrangements Directions, 2025, which will come into effect on January 1, 2026. These guidelines will likely broaden the scope of co-lending 1️⃣ Mandatory Skin in the Game – Each Regulated Entity (RE) must retain minimum 10% of every loan (no shadow partnerships) 2️⃣ Blended Interest Rate – Final rate to borrower = weighted average of each lender’s rate. All fees to be factored into APR & Key Facts Statement 3️⃣ 15-Day Transfer Rule – Partner RE must book its share within 15 days of disbursement. Else, loan stays with originator 4️⃣ Default Loss Guarantee Cap – Max 5% of outstanding loans allowed 5️⃣ Borrower-Level Asset Classification – If one lender marks SMA/NPA, the other must follow 6️⃣ Escrow Account Mandate – All transactions to flow through an escrow, ensuring clear fund appropriation 7️⃣ Full Disclosure – Public list of co-lending partners + detailed reporting in financials Bottom line: Clearer rules, stronger consumer protection, tighter operational discipline >> co-lending just got a lot more transparent. #RBI #CoLending #NBFC #Fintech #Credit https://lnkd.in/gKxrz_hC

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BlueStone’s IPO on 19th August 2025 marked the culmination of 14 years of resilience. The issue was oversubscribed 2.7x, raising ~₹1,540 crore. At listing, BlueStone commanded a valuation well north of $1 billion — a remarkable leap from ~$300M just a year prior. But the story began back in 2011, with a vision many considered radical. Jewellery, at the time, was untouched by the internet. And Gaurav Singh Kushwaha was an unlikely jewellery entrepreneur, a technologist with no background or networks in the industry. What many saw as a disadvantage turned out to be his greatest strength. The market then was dominated by legacy players: 1. Heavy offline distribution 2. Large inventory-led models 3. A traditional view of jewellery as heirlooms, not fashion Technology, design thinking, and consumer-first approaches had barely touched the space. Free from industry baggage, Gaurav reimagined the market with first-principles thinking: 1. What will it take for jewellery to be bought online? 2. Why can’t it be designed for everyday wear? 3. Can a lean, just-in-time supply chain make jewellery design-first and transparent? These questions became the foundation of a journey from incubation to IPO with BlueStone emerging as a pioneer that redefined how India buys fine jewellery. Read more about "Making of BlueStone and how it beat the odds" in our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/gyyibWpG #IPO #Startup #Entrepreneurship

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