I spoke at a tech summit organized by @ELCIA_IN this week along with @narasimhasuresh, moderated by @SwamyAnoop of MoonRider.ai. When asked what would accelerate India’s AI and DeepTech progress, I said we’ve already made significant strides - a vibrant ecosystem of over a thousand startups, growing government backing, clearer regulations, and procurement slowly opening to domestic firms. But our preference for foreign solutions slows momentum. Indian enterprises should engage/buy more from Indian startups and create a dedicated procurement window for transactions with them, even acknowledging many may fold within a few years. A specialized channel enables rapid pilots, lower onboarding friction, and structured risk-sharing - helping firms tap innovation, diversify supply chains, and build domestic capabilities. Accepting short-term failures as R&D investments will accelerate product-market fit, create jobs, and strengthen the ecosystem while protecting core operations through capped contracts and phased scaling. This same standard applies to investors. We must transact with fairness on valuations, governance and rights, resisting the urge to squeeze the last ounce of value from a deal. That doesn't mean being lax - we're stewards of other people's capital and must be disciplined in underwriting, terms and oversight. Investing right means balancing rigorous diligence with fair treatment of founders and aligning incentives for sustainable, long-term value creation. We must transact with long‑term intent: paid pilots (and not free) that scale rapidly, joint R&D, and multi‑year partnerships. #AI #DeepTech

When does an investor actually add value vs. just adding noise? A podcast listener recently asked me how I judge when to step in vs. when to step back. Here is the framework I use to offer leverage without mandating direction: 🧵 Early-stage investors add maximum value across 5 key pillars: 1. Vision Expansion: Helping founders see the big picture. 2. Milestone Focus: Keeping execution grounded (in constant tension with vision). 3. Core Hiring: Helping secure early key talent. 4. Customer Access: Opening doors to prospective clients. 5. Capital Strategy: Structuring follow-on capital or shaping the narrative for the next raise. But having capability in these areas isn't enough. HOW you step in makes all the difference. Rule 1: Build trust through logic & fairness. From term sheets to board meetings, every interaction must be built on fairness, not one-upmanship. When founders trust your intentions, they actively seek you out when they hit a wall. Rule 2: Signal capability without forcing action. Founders won't ask for help if they don't know where you excel. Explore options with them freely, but make it explicit that the final choice is theirs. Proposing options shows capability; forcing them creates noise. TL;DR: The boundary between helping and being noisy comes down to one principle: Offer leverage, never mandate direction.