The VC Fellowship, TDK Ventures and Theia Ventures hosted a deeptech roundtable in Bengaluru on November 20, convening leaders from Accel, Stride Ventures, Blume Ventures, and senior operators for a high-calibre conversation on India’s deeptech ascent. The gathering reflected a moment where India’s ambition, investor conviction, and government support are aligning in unprecedented ways.
The conversation touched on how India’s evolving policy environment, across areas like DGCA updates and R&D commercialisation, continues to influence the pace of deeptech innovation, especially in hardware-heavy sectors. Attendees noted that while momentum is building, approval pathways still shape go-to-market timelines in a very real way. Decarbonisation also emerged as a key theme, with the group recognising how differently the term is interpreted across industries and how much clarity of definition matters when assessing deeptech opportunities.
Bringing everyone together was The VC Fellowship, which is widely regarded as one of India’s most coveted entry points into venture capital. The program works closely with many of the country’s top funds and has quickly become a flagship pathway for exceptional talent aspiring to work in venture capital. Highly selective by design, it offers what few platforms in India can: direct access to leading investors, real exposure to decision-making frameworks, and the chance to learn from VCs who have backed unicorns since their earliest days. For aspiring VCs and emerging angels, it represents a rare combination of opportunity, credibility, and proximity to the people who shape the ecosystem.
Sharing his perspective, Ravi Jain of TDK Ventures said, “There is always a need for fresh talent to enter the venture investing industry, especially in tech investing. I believe The VC Fellowship is doing a great job in introducing great talent to this industry. It was refreshing to interact with them.”
Other esteemed attendees included the Theia Ventures team, Akhilesh Agarwal of Accel, representatives from Stride Ventures, Saaquib Dawoodani VP -Talent at Blume Ventures, and Arpan Biswas - CMO of Reliance Ajio.
A brisk rapid-fire segment added a welcome change in rhythm, offering a rare glimpse into investor instincts beyond the usual structured dialogue. The questions gave attendees a quick, candid look at how leading investors think beyond formal dialogue.
Reflecting on the event, Akhilesh Agarwal, from Accel’s deeptech investments team, said, “The VC Fellowship is doing some much-needed work bringing VC aspirants, new entrepreneurs, and the investor community together to foster a deeper ecosystem. Such systemic level activities are key to encouraging more conversations that eventually lead to capital formation for the right people building India's future.”
Adding to this, Himanshu Sharma, AVP at Theia, noted, “Really enjoyed being part of The VC Fellowship event. The conversations were real, grounded, and centered around what it actually takes to build Deep Tech and Climate companies in India, not hypotheticals, but hard problems, patient capital, and founders who choose complexity over convenience.”
As India continues to place deeptech at the forefront of its innovation agenda, gatherings like this, measured, sincere, and anchored in lived experience, play an essential role in shaping how capital, talent, and ambition converge.
The VC Fellowship has now opened applications for Cohort 10, starting from January 15th. Visit www.hirevc.com to apply.
No VCCircle journalist was involved in the creation/production of this content.