VC’s remark on deeptech sets off a debate on where India’s capital should go

Anmol Maini, a partner at venture capital firm Untitled Ventures, sparked a debate online by claiming that most deeptech ventures will turn out to be a "grift." He suggested that quicker services and quick commerce startups will have a larger impact on the economy. This comment was a response to an AI startup CEO, Dhananjay Yadav, who criticized a surge of househelp startups burning capital to gain market share.

Yadav wrote about his frustration with the venture capital ecosystem, noting that while India aims to build products for the world, it invests far less in the future compared to the US. This sentiment was echoed by Deedy Das, another venture capitalist. Das explained that the challenge lies in underwriting returns. Early investments are typically straightforward, but deeptech companies often take longer to generate revenue, require significant capital expenditure even after the seed stage, and face regulatory hurdles.

Das suggested that successful deeptech investors are either experts in the field, take a larger ownership stake to compensate for risk, or operate within a robust capital ecosystem with multiple venture funds. Others defended Maini's stance, arguing that it's not a matter of "either or," but rather "both" in the context of India's economic growth.

Meanwhile, Awais Ahmed, the founder of Pixxel, took to X to argue that deeptech and fast-growing sectors are not mutually exclusive. He pointed out that consumer internet businesses often rely on technologies developed in the deeptech space, such as semiconductors, GPS, and batteries. Ahmed concluded by emphasizing that India should continue fostering both consumer-focused businesses and deeptech innovations, as the former's returns will eventually benefit the latter.