In this episode of Interpreting India, Konark Bhandari is joined by Karl Mehta, Chairman of the Quad Investors Network, to explore the integration of advanced technologies into the Indian context. The discussion spans artificial intelligence (AI), fundraising, friendshoring, and defense innovation—all considering India's national AI mission and emerging deep tech policies. Karl Mehta, with his experience as a serial entrepreneur, author, investor, and engineer, brings deep insights into how these technologies can shape India's future, both economically and socially.
Karl Mehta highlights the critical role of trustworthy tech supply chains and the necessity for international collaboration among partner nations. Mehta examines the potential of India’s national AI mission and the growing space tech ecosystem, including opportunities for lower-cost payload launches and downstream activities. This episode provides an overview of the strategic integration of advanced technologies in India’s growth and development framework. Karl Mehta explains the critical role of patient capital in promoting deep tech innovations and discusses the Indian government's recent initiatives to stimulate technological advancements through policies focused on deep tech and domestic manufacturing.
What is the significance of patient capital in the development of deep technology? How do current Indian government policies support the innovation ecosystem, particularly in deep tech? In what ways can trustworthy tech supply chains bolster India's position in the global tech landscape?
Episode contributors
Karl Mehta is a serial entrepreneur, author, investor, engineer, and civil servant with over thirty years of experience in founding, building, and funding high-tech companies in the United States and international markets. Prior to leading the Quad Investors Network, Karl was the founder and CEO of an artificial intelligence-powered knowledge cloud platform EdCast Inc., which was backed by Stanford University and acquired by Cornerstone Inc. He was also a former venture partner at Menlo Ventures, a leading Silicon Valley firm.
Karl is also the founder of several non-profit organizations, including Code For India, and the author of Financial Inclusion at the Bottom of the Pyramid. His new book, AI for Digital Public Infrastructure, is slated to be released in Fall 2023.
Konark Bhandari is a fellow with Carnegie India. He is a lawyer who has researched certain areas in the digital economy, focusing primarily on approaches to antitrust regulation of companies in the digital realm. He had earlier worked at India’s antitrust regulator, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), where he worked closely with senior officials on a variety of matters. He is also an avid follower of the regulation of the space technology ecosystem and is keen to contribute to that discipline.
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