The UChicago Center in Delhi hosted the POLSKY India Deep Tech Accelerator on May 5–6, bringing together founders, investors, mentors, and innovators for two days of intensive discussions on entrepreneurship, venture building, and the future of deep tech in India. The program created a collaborative platform for early-stage founders to engage with experts from the POLSKY Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and gain practical insights into scaling technology-driven ventures.
The accelerator commenced with a welcome address by Dr. Leni Chaudhari, Executive Director of the UChicago Center in Delhi, who emphasized the importance of fostering innovation ecosystems and cross-sector collaboration. Rahul Singal (Associate Director, Accelerators and Investments) introduced participants to the POLSKY Center’s entrepreneurial network and shared insights from the POLSKY FY25 impact initiatives, highlighting the Center’s global contribution to start-up incubation, commercialization, and innovation support.
An interactive session led by Shyama Majumdar focused on the fundamentals of pitching and entrepreneurial storytelling. Founders explored different pitch formats and the essential components of an effective pitch deck. A rapid-fire activity challenging participants to pitch their start-ups in under thirty seconds became one of the most engaging segments of the day, encouraging concise communication and helping founders refine their narratives.
A major highlight of the inaugural day was a venture capital panel moderated by Shyama Majumdar, featuring Vishnu Rajeev of Speciale Invest, Manish Gupta from GrowX Ventures, and Gaurav Gulati of Aroa Venture Partners. Vishnu Rajeev discussed the absence of a global playbook for Indian deep-tech founders and the stereotypes they encounter, particularly in hardware innovation. He emphasized the importance of storytelling in fundraising, hiring, and market positioning. Manish Gupta reflected on how investing ultimately centres on people, noting that founder resilience and ethical judgment often matter more than a single business outcome. Gaurav Gulati highlighted the importance of understanding customer needs, pricing strategies, and market competition while building sustainable ventures.
Day 2 began with a recap of the previous day’s discussions by Rahul Singal and Shyama Majumdar. The sessions that followed featured Nitin Wadhwa from Aroa Venture Partners and Dev Gavaskar from the POLSKY Center, who explored legal frameworks, techno-economic analysis, and strategic decision-making for deep-tech founders.
The accelerator concluded with meaningful networking and collaborative discussions among participants, reflecting the growing momentum of India’s deep-tech ecosystem and the importance of building innovation-driven entrepreneurial communities.
Beyond the formal sessions, the program encouraged interaction between founders, mentors, and investors through informal conversations and collaborative exchanges. Participants discussed challenges surrounding commercialization, scaling, readiness, and technology adoption across sectors. The diversity of ideas represented during the accelerator reflected the evolving nature of India’s start-up landscape and reinforced the importance of interdisciplinary thinking within innovation ecosystems.
