pi Ventures

Recently Sohil Bhagat delivered some valuable insights at Terrarium's Biomaterials Event! It was incredible to see such a diverse group of participants—from startups innovating with materials like lignin and microbes, to capital providers, product designers, and heads of sustainability from global brands—all focused on next-gen materials. Exciting intersections between science, sustainability, and innovation are taking shape, driving the future of packaging, textiles, and beyond! A special mention to the speakers - Preeti Dharmagoudar Gadhadar Reddy Ankit K. Shelly Mittal and Tarun Jami, for sharing their perspectives. Thanks to Terrarium and Mridu Jhangiani for putting this together. For more on our take on advanced materials, check out this blog series by Sohil. Link in the comments below.

Super excited to announce our investment in Ahammune Biosciences Pvt. Ltd. in their $5M Series A round. Ahammune is a clinical stage therapeutics company focused on treating immune-mediated skin conditions like Vitiligo. I was having a conversation with Vibhuti Dembi when she talked about a friend: "He has had vitiligo for 8 years now, has tried & tested every drug in the market. Nothing has worked. He stopped taking all meds a year back because of side effects such as severe weight gain. Now he is in depression". He is not alone, millions across the globe suffer from severe social stigma due to vitiligo but have no effective solutions for it. Round about this time we came across Ahammune led by Parul Ganju. Ahammune has developed a small molecule with first of its kind mechanism of action that promotes re pigmentation without inhibiting the immune system. This will be a game changing solution for chronic skin conditions. We are excited to be partners on this bold journey of Ahammune alongside fellow investors Ideaspring Capital & Capital 2B. Read more about why we invested in Ahammune through the blog (link in comments) Roopan Aulakh Manish Singhal Shubham Sandeep Sohil Bhagat Komal Gupta Alisha Parveen VINIT AGRAWAL

As Deeptech investors we are constantly meeting with top AI founders and seeing AI evolve at breakneck speed as evidenced by the latest OpenAI o1 model which has complex reasoning ability far superior to the average human. Our recent deep dive with the Antler cohort led by Shubham Sandeep and hosted by Ishavasyam Dash uncovered some critical insights for founders building in AI: 💡 Opportunities to seize: 👉 AI Hardware: Energy efficient AI chips for edge computing is going to be big as evidenced by Apple Intelligence inference happening on device. Embodied AI where intelligence is brought to physical objects. New form factors like AI-driven wearables could shift the landscape beyond smartphones. 👉 AI Infrastructure & Tooling: LLM model testing, monitoring, security, synthetic data for training are already being implemented. Hallucination detection, small language models, and domain specific foundational models (genetics, olfactory senses, material science etc.) are tough problems to solve we are excited about. 👉 Enterprise AI: Especially in industries with low digitization (think healthcare backend). There's still room to make big strides here —automating complex workflows using AI agentic systems can lead to 50-80% efficiency gains.  ⚠ Areas to approach with caution: 👉 Wrappers around LLMs: The market is shifting fast—startups relying on these will be subsumed by larger foundational model players soon. 👉 Overhyped Sectors: Be wary of code generation, marketing automation, content generation; they're becoming crowded. 🔦 Founders should keep up with the shortened innovation cycles in AI—what took 3 years to build now takes 6 months. Execution speed and deep domain expertise are more important than ever. If you're working in AI, think about where you can deliver transformational change, not just incremental improvements. #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #Entrepreneurship #Startup #AIResearch #AI #VentureCapital

Get an inside look at our exclusive event, 'AMA with VCs and Founders of Deep Tech Startups,' where Roopan Aulakh, Managing Director of pi Ventures, shared expert guidance on Milestone-based Fundraising Planning. Roopan delved into the nuances of securing investments for deep tech startups, highlighting strategies to align funding rounds with key growth milestones, reduce investor risk, and optimize long-term success. A must-watch for founders navigating the complexities of deep tech financing! #deeptechstars #venture #investing #startup #askmeanything #talks #milestones #strategies #investment

We're proud to welcome Clean Electric to the pi Ventures family with a $6 million Series A investment alongside Info Edge & Kalaari Capital. As a key player in EV battery technology, Clean Electric is setting the pace with its rapid-charging innovations, charging EVs in just 12 minutes. This investment reflects our belief in their potential to transform electric mobility with their full-stack approach, merging advanced software with robust hardware solutions. To learn more about why we're backing Clean Electric's vision for a sustainable future, visit our blog. Link in the comments below. Abhinav Roy, Akash Gupta, Ankit Joshi excited to see how you transform the future of electric mobility! Manish Singhal Shubham Sandeep Roopan Aulakh Sohil Bhagat Milan Roy Alisha Parveen Komal Gupta VINIT AGRAWAL

The conversation around sustainable materials has gained significant momentum in recent years. There is now increased awareness about sustainability among consumers, corporations and governments, leading to an increase in startups tackling these challenges. But what does it take for these startups to succeed? Join me this Saturday at Terrarium for an event focused on sustainable materials, where I'll share pi Ventures's insights on the industry and what we seek in startups innovating in this space. 14th Sept, 3.30 - 6.30pm, Saturday IKP Eden, Koramangala, Bangalore Register here: https://lnkd.in/dSVZ-Bug Mridu Jhangiani Manish Singhal | Roopan Aulakh | Shubham Sandeep | Milan Roy | Alisha Parveen | Komal Gupta | VINIT AGRAWAL

Speaker Spotlight #5 Sohil Bhagat, Principal, pi Ventures Presentation themes : Deep-tech investing | Investor Expectations | Future of Bio-materials 14th Sept, 3.30 - 6.30pm, Saturday IKP Eden, Koramangala, Bangalore Link to register : Register here : https://lnkd.in/edG7BQzJ Limited seats are available. See you there! :) Komal Gupta Mridu Jhangiani IKP Knowledge Park IKP EDEN

I recently had the chance to connect with Deeptech founders at IIT Madras Incubation Cell, where we delved into the nuances of the early stage “0 to 1” journey. At pi Ventures, we believe in using simple yet powerful frameworks to help founders sharpen their focus and make better decisions during this critical phase. For those looking to explore these further, we’ve outlined two key frameworks in blogs: Inflection Point: Using the demand-supply resonance map, founders can assess where their startup stands in terms of tech and market readiness, and better understand when they might hit their inflection point. Read more: [Deeptech Investing: Points of Inflection](https://lnkd.in/d8Qqai7U) Building Market Centricity: This framework helps founders craft effective go-to-market strategies by mapping their product’s positioning relative to the market type Read more: [Building Market Centricity in Products](https://lnkd.in/dyjy-9VE) Thank you to IIT Madras Incubation Cell for hosting us! #Deeptech #Startup #Innovation #Entrepreneurship Akshay Sundararajan Tamaswati Ghosh Manish Singhal Shubham Sandeep Sohil Bhagat Milan Roy Alisha Parveen Komal Gupta VINIT AGRAWAL

Empowering DeepTech Startups: Bridging Innovation and Market Success - latest update from #IITMICStartupEssentials We’re excited to share highlights from our recent Fifth Gear series in collaboration with pi Ventures, held on 24 July. This engaging session brought together 25 #IITMIC and 3 NIRMAAN IITM incubated #startups. We were honoured to host Roopan Aulakh, MD, pi Ventures, who led a compelling session titled "From Lab to Market: Learnings from DeepTech Investments.”  The speaker explored essential frameworks for #deeptech startups, focusing on achieving product-market fit, crafting effective #GTM strategies, and navigating fundraising in their 0 to 1 journey. Key topics included the product-market mapping framework, sector-specific GTM approaches, and the demand-supply resonance map, with practical insights drawn from several startups' use cases. A heartfelt thank you to Ms. Roopan Aulakh, Shubham Sandeep, Milan Roy and Alisha Parveen, and the pi Ventures team for delivering such an impactful session, helping startups refine their strategies and goals on their journey from lab to market. https://lnkd.in/dQ8qC6DY #DeepTech #StartupJourney #ProductMarketFit #GoToMarket #FundingSuccess #Innovation #TechStartups #piVentures #IITMIncubator #NIRMAAN #TechInnovation #Investormeet IIT Madras Bioincubator IITMs HTIC MedTech Incubator Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship IIT Madras Akshay Sundararajan Jaya K Tamaswati Ghosh Bhuvan Dubey, CFA Jayalakshmi Umadikar CeraTattva InnoTech, Planytics , InsituMicron, VETiNSTANT, 3dcian, The ePlane Company, Prediscan Medtech, Susan Future Technologies , Viridian Ingni Propulsion SMART Home Healthcare Solutions, TRIOLT ENERGY, Qwings, Satiq Concrete Manufacturer Pvt. Ltd. Intrust Innovation Labs , Spheruler Solutions Good Move Logistics and Transport Pvt. Ltd., SaraniaSat Inc. Welkinrim Technologies ARUS MR TECH Crion Technologies AAVRTTI TECHNOLOGIES PVT LTD, Modulus Housing, Theta90 Technologies, Limbex Orthopaedic Ofline, Ewebstore AI and Rail Labs.

We recently hosted an insightful session with Arjun Bala from Metayage, a seasoned patent attorney, who shared valuable knowledge for deep-tech startups on intellectual property and patent strategy. The session was moderated by Sohil Bhagat. Here are the top 10 takeaways: 1. Early Filing Benefits: Secure an early priority date by filing a provisional patent application once you are conceptually clear, crucial under the first-to-file system. 2. Work with IP Experts: Engage with specialist IP attorneys to navigate patent filing complexities, ensuring robust protection and strategic advantage 3. Invest in a high-quality draft: Particularly if you intend to file in the US and multiple jurisdictions, a good quality patent draft will help you in the long run. 4. Careful Disclosure: Balance the amount of information disclosed in your patent application to protect your innovation while safeguarding trade secrets. 5. Think International: Since patents are territorial, plan to file in key markets from day one. Tailor your patent draft and strategy to comply with requirements in each jurisdiction. 6. Value of US Patents: US patents can significantly boost your startup’s valuation due to their strong enforcement and high regard in the global market. 7. Monitor Costs: Keep a close eye on the costs associated with filing and maintaining patents, especially when considering multiple jurisdictions. 8. Leverage Patents for Funding: Use granted patents as a tool to attract investors by demonstrating the protected and potentially lucrative nature of your innovation. 9. Mitigate IP infringement risk: Conduct a Freedom to Operate search to detect threats due to infringement and modify your product to mitigate the risks. 10. Adapt constantly: Stay informed about changes in IP law in different countries and best practices to continually refine your strategy. As a VC firm committed to supporting deep-tech innovation, we understand the critical role that a well-crafted IP strategy plays in your startup’s journey. Whether you’re looking to protect innovative ideas or strategically navigate the IP landscape, we’re here to partner with you every step of the way!