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Lesson from my journey
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Dr Ashok Jhunjhunwala
Technology achieves its greatest impact when it is designed not for ideal conditions, but for real ones. Throughout my career, the question that has motivated me most is not what technology can do in a laboratory, it is what it can do in the hands of a farmer in rural India, or a small business owner with limited bandwidth, or a patient in a tier-three town. Affordability, scalability, and real-world deployability are not constraints on innovation; they are the highest standard to which innovation can be held.
I am an Institute Professor at IIT Madras and former President of the IIT Madras Research Park and IITM Incubation Cell - India's first university-affiliated research and innovation hub. I founded the Telecommunications and Computer Networks (TeNeT) Group at IIT Madras, which has driven the development of affordable technologies across wireless communication, digital banking, renewable energy, and electric mobility. I have also served on the boards of institutions including State Bank of India, Bharat Electronics, VSNL, BSNL, Tejas Networks, and Tata Communications, and currently chair the Technology Advisory Group at SEBI. I am a Padma Shri awardee and a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, among numerous other honours.
As an Advisor to Kalaari Capital, I bring depth in DeepTech evaluation, technology readiness assessment, and R&D-led innovation. My guidance is particularly relevant for companies operating at higher Technology Readiness Levels, where long development cycles, capital efficiency, and deployment feasibility are the defining challenges.
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