October 6, 2026: India’s deeptech ambitions are getting a new policy platform as Startup Policy Forum (SPF) launches DeepVerse, a centre aimed at bringing founders, investors, policymakers, technology companies and academia into the same conversation.
The initiative comes at a time when startups working on technologies such as semiconductors, quantum computing, space, defence, biotechnology and robotics face a very different growth cycle from conventional software companies. Building these businesses can require years of research, substantial capital and regulatory clarity well before commercial scale is possible.
DeepVerse will focus on policy discussions, research and industry collaboration across 10 areas: semiconductors, quantum technology, spacetech, defence tech, biotech and healthtech, cleantech and energy, drones and aerospace, electric vehicles, advanced manufacturing and robotics.
SPF plans to use the platform to identify policy gaps and develop recommendations for the government. A report covering potential policy actions across the 10 sectors is also expected from the centre.
The initiative brings together a sizeable group of investors, including Accel India, Lightspeed, Bessemer Venture Partners, Speciale Invest, Endiya Partners, Crane Ventures, Avaana Capital, Iron Pillar, Stride Asset Management and Beenext.
Its advisory board includes deeptech founders such as Ather Energy co-founder and CEO Tarun Mehta, Airbound founder and CEO Naman Pushp, Skyroot Aerospace co-founder and CEO Pawan Chandana, and Digantara founder and CEO Anirudh Sharma.
DeepVerse brings investors, founders and policymakers together for India’s deeptech push
The group also includes representatives from government, academia and global technology companies, including MeitY Startup Hub CEO Dr Panneerselvam Madanagopal, Chief Policy Adviser at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser Dr B. Chagun Basha, Dayananda Sagar University Pro-Chancellor Dr D. Premachandra Sagar and Intel India Director of Ecosystem and Industry Aditi Nanda.
Startup Policy Forum President and CEO Shweta Rajpal Kohli said deeptech founders and investors need policies they can plan around because such companies can take a decade to build.
DeepVerse builds on SPF’s #100DesiDeepTechs initiative, which was developed with MeitY Startup Hub, Startup India and IIT Madras. That programme brought 100 Indian deeptech startups into discussions around regulation, funding, talent and international expansion.
The new centre is intended to make that engagement continuous rather than programme-led. For India’s deeptech sector, that could be the more important shift. The challenge is no longer only identifying promising companies or finding investors willing to back them. It is creating an environment where founders can make 10-year bets without having to navigate policy uncertainty at every stage.
If DeepVerse can turn those founder concerns into specific policy recommendations, its influence could extend well beyond the startup ecosystem and into how India builds its next generation of strategic technology companies.
