Manish Singhal is the founding partner of pi Ventures, a $30 million early stage deep tech fund based in Bangalore. Before founding Pi Ventures in 2016 as one of the very first AI-focused funds, he has worked for over 2 decades in R&D, product and general management roles in global companies creating video technologies and consumer electronics, including Motorola and Sling Media.

This podcast is hosted by Benjamin Joffe, Partner at SOSV, a global early stage fund focused on deep tech. SOSV runs multiple accelerator programs including HAX (intelligent hardware) and IndieBio (life sciences).

In this episode, Manish talks about:

• The growing local deep tech scene
• How pi Ventures met over 1,100 companies over 3 years to make 11 investments
• The attractive opportunities in the market
• His approach to deep tech investment and 'bottom-up investing'
• The problem with asking experts who are naturally skeptical
• Why India is a great place to build healthcare startups
• The left shift of the flatter S-curve in deep tech
• The cultural shift in the acceptance of startups
• The emergence of global players Made in India.

Resources & Companies Mentioned:

• Manish's article on the Indian Deep Tech startup ecosystem (Medium)
• Pandorum Technologies: artificial cornea
• Niramai: non-invasive detection of breast cancer (coverage in Entrepreneur)
• Agnikul: low-cost space launchers (coverage in Inc42)
• Locus: supply chain decision-making engine
• Wysa: AI Chat for mental health that makes you feel heard
• Raybaby: advanced non-contact baby monitor that detects breathing
• Cradlewise: smart crib that detects wake-up and soothes the baby to sleep
• Unbox Robotics: robots for package sorting

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