Ankit Maurya

25,000 ACs sold in just 6 months! And you won't believe where this startup began. Ashish, an IIT Kanpur graduate, once dreamed of pursuing an MBA in America. But a 1,500-km road trip across India changed his plans. He stayed back and teamed up with his childhood friend Aman to build Helium Smart Air from Jaipur, with a mission to make cooling affordable for Indian homes. Backed by Anand Lunia's India Quotient (@anandlunia ) the startup has reportedly installed 25,000+ ACs and sold over 600 units every day through its website this summer! In our latest episode, we uncover the journey, the technology and the ambition behind this emerging Indian AC brand. Can two founders from Jaipur challenge India's biggest AC giants? Watch the episode and tell us what you think!

Two Indian engineers are building underwater ROBOTS for the Indian Navy! 🇮🇳 In 2014, two engineering students at NIT Rourkela entered a national underwater robotics competition. Debendra Pradhan and Biswajit Swain reached the finals. The following year, they finished second nationally. Eventually, they won India's autonomous underwater vehicle challenge and secured a runner-up position at an international competition in Singapore. What started as a college project became something much bigger. In 2021, they founded Coratia Technologies, an Odisha-based startup developing indigenous underwater robotic systems. But why does India need these machines? Imagine inspecting the hull of a warship, searching for underwater damage or examining infrastructure hundreds of metres below the surface. Sending human divers into these environments can be dangerous, expensive and operationally difficult. Coratia's answer is a family of specialised robots. 1. Jalasimha is a remotely operated underwater vehicle designed for demanding inspection missions, reportedly capable of reaching depths of around 300 metres. 2. Jaladuta is designed for ship-hull cleaning and minor underwater salvage operations. 3. Oceanus provides underwater imaging capabilities, while Navya is an autonomous surface vessel designed for tasks such as surveying and monitoring. The company's biggest milestone came through an Indian Navy contract worth ₹66 crore under the iDEX initiative. And on 29 October 2026, Coratia announced another major development: ₹18 crore in fresh funding, led by MGF Kavachh. The investment will support Navy contract execution, further research and expanded manufacturing. Here's what makes this story particularly important. India's maritime security depends on much more than ships and submarines. Underwater inspection, sensing and maintenance are equally critical. And Indian waters present difficult engineering challenges, including poor visibility, sediment and changing currents. Coratia is developing its technology around these conditions. From a student robotics competition to building underwater technology for India's defence ecosystem, this is the kind of deep-tech journey India needs more of!

Meet Amit Kumar Agarwal! (Winner of India's 2025 Bhatnagar Prize) From a small town in Jharkhand to winning one of India's highest scientific honours, this IIT Kanpur physicist is exploring the strange quantum behaviour of materials that could power tomorrow's technologies! > Born in Chirkunda, near Dhanbad, in 1980 > Completed his schooling at De Nobili School, Mugma > Studied Physics at Kirori Mal College > Received the N. S. Khare Award for Academic Excellence > Joined the Indian Institute of Science in 2002 > Completed his Master's degree at IISc in 2005 > Earned his PhD in Physics from IISc in 2009 > Researched how electrons move through nearly one-dimensional quantum systems > Received the Kumari L. A. Meera Memorial Medal for his doctoral research > Moved to Italy as a Marie Curie postdoctoral researcher > Studied quantum many-body effects at Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa > Returned to India and joined IIT Kanpur's Physics Department in August 2012 > Began investigating quantum transport in two-dimensional materials > Expanded his research into topological materials and quantum geometry > Explored the unusual electrical properties of nanoscale materials > Contributed theoretical insights relevant to future nanoelectronic devices > Won the 2025 Vigyan Yuva–Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Physics What makes his research extraordinary? Inside ordinary electronic devices, electrons move through materials in ways engineers can often predict using classical physics. But when materials become extremely thin, quantum effects can produce surprising behaviour. Agarwal studies how electrons move through these unusual materials, including systems whose electrical properties are influenced by the geometry and topology of their quantum states. His research explores two-dimensional materials, collective electron behaviour and new physical phenomena that could inform future electronic and quantum technologies. Some of these materials may eventually enable electronic devices with new capabilities, although practical applications remain an active area of research. In 2025, the Government of India recognised his contributions with the prestigious Vigyan Yuva–Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize. From Chirkunda's classrooms to the frontiers of quantum physics, Agarwal's journey reflects the extraordinary scientific talent emerging from India.

Indian scientists have built a chip that could transmit a 5 GB movie in LESS THAN HALF A SECOND! Researchers at Bengaluru's JNCASR demonstrated data transmission at 100 Gbps using a specially engineered silicon chip. Here's the fascinating part: 1. Terahertz signals usually weaken when encountering bends and barriers. 2. Scientists patterned tiny triangular holes into silicon, allowing waves to cross engineered obstacles with just 1–2% additional loss. 3. The design uses a phenomenon called photonic Klein tunnelling. The breakthrough could help build compact circuits for future 6G networks. And the technology is compatible with established silicon manufacturing processes!

What if BLACK HOLES could prove that string theory is on the right track? Prof. Ashoke Sen explains how physicists calculated black hole entropy in two completely different ways, using gravity and quantum states, and arrived at the same answer.

Prof. Ashoke Sen's interest in theoretical physics came surprisingly late. It truly began during his master's at IIT Kanpur. That's when mathematics stopped being a subject. And became a way to understand the universe. That realization shaped his journey into string theory. And eventually, modern theoretical physics.

An Indian startup can build a defence drone prototype! However, getting precision parts made reliably, again and again, is a different challenge. Venttup just raised $3 million to help close that manufacturing gap.

Prof. Ashoke Sen says string theory almost became irrelevant, then physicists noticed something extraordinary. Hidden inside it was gravity. Something no other quantum theory could explain. And that's when everything changed.

India needs a shift in mindset before a shift in its ecosystem ! As a young and ambitious nation we need to learn to think in terms of opportunities rather than focussing on challenges. Only then can we expect to become a developed nation by 2047.

India's future weapons CANNOT depend on Chinese supply chains! Smit Shah explains why self-reliance in drone technology is critical: > Drones are becoming indispensable for military surveillance, logistics and strikes. > The same technology powers civilian security, deliveries and emergency services. > Dependence on foreign components creates vulnerabilities across both sectors. A nation that protects its borders must also control the technology defending them!

Demonstrated your Drone but still waiting for procurement? There might be something fundamentally wrong in your approach👇