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- 🇮🇳 Chennai’s DeepTech surge
Good morning and happy Friday. You know the drill - have a good weekend when it arrives 😎
Ruchirr Sharma & Shatakshi Sharmaa
TABLE OF CONTENTS
🇮🇳 Chennai’s DeepTech surge
📊 India’s digital leap
🗞️ Bite-sized summaries
☄️ Collision Avoidance Manoeuvres
🇨🇳 Chinese nationalism
🧑🍳 What else is cookin’?
🍿 Entertainment, Entertainment, Entertainment
MARKETS
🇮🇳 India
indicates per gram rate in Delhi | Stock data as of market close 29/05/2025
Indian equities advanced - gains were led by IT, auto, and metal stocks, while FMCG lagged. Broader markets also ended in the green, reflecting improved investor sentiment after recent volatility.
🌍️ International
Stock data as of market close 29/05/2025
US stocks closed higher as tech shares rebounded and investors welcomed upbeat economic data. Strong performances from major tech companies and better-than-expected GDP growth figures supported the rally.
INDIAN DEEPTECH
A quiet revolution is unfolding in Chennai - and venture capitalists are catching early flights to be part of it.
Long overshadowed by Bengaluru and Hyderabad, Chennai is rapidly emerging as India’s new deep-tech nucleus, powered by the robust innovation engine at IIT Madras:
In 2024 alone, Chennai-based startups raised nearly $796 million across 95 funding rounds, many at the pre-seed and prototype stage.
This early-stage momentum is being fueled by an ecosystem that blends academic brilliance, industrial depth, and startup agility - with IIT Madras at the center of it all.
Startups like Agnikul Cosmos, Ather Energy, and The ePlane Company have proven that science-backed ventures from Chennai can scale - and succeed. Their track record is prompting family offices, micro VCs, and even international funds to make Chennai a regular pitstop.
“There’s a sense of urgency,” says Tamaswati Ghosh, CEO of IIT Madras Incubation Cell. “Nobody wants to miss the next scientific breakthrough.”
The numbers tell the story:
IIT Madras filed 417 patents in 2024, with 119 of them international. Its incubation cell - now the launchpad for 457 deep-tech ventures - earned ₹50 crore from Ather’s IPO alone.
Add to that the rise of iTNT Hub, a state-backed innovation lab, and you get an environment where funding, mentorship, and infrastructure converge.
The deep-tech wave is also reviving investor interest in traditional industrial cities like Coimbatore, signaling a broader regional play. The proximity to Bengaluru adds to Chennai’s appeal, making frequent visits viable for out-of-town investors.
Overall: What this moment signals is bigger than just a funding spike. It’s a shift in the geography of Indian innovation. As Chennai positions itself as the Silicon Valley of deep-tech - with IIT Madras as its Stanford - India could be entering an era where R&D-driven startups gain the capital, credibility, and continuity they’ve long lacked.
Read more: Times of India
UPI
India’s digital transformation has reached a new milestone. According to the latest Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom 2025 by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), 85.5% of Indian households now possess at least one smartphone, and 86.3% have internet access within their premises.
Among India’s youth, the numbers are even more striking:
For those aged 15–29, smartphone ownership is nearly universal - 95.5% in rural areas and 97.6% in urban areas.
And when it comes to digital payments, an astonishing 99.5% of young Indians who can perform online banking use UPI (Unified Payments Interface).
The survey, conducted by the National Statistics Office between January and March 2025, covered nearly 35,000 households across the country. The results reflect a seismic shift in India’s digital access - one that cuts across rural and urban lines. For instance, three out of four women in rural areas who own a mobile phone are now smartphone users. In urban areas, that figure climbs to over 86%.
This widespread smartphone and internet penetration is more than a tech stat — it’s a glimpse into how quickly digital tools are becoming central to Indian life, from banking to education to everyday communication.
Yet, challenges remain. The survey also explored reasons why some people still don’t use the internet, citing lack of service availability, low digital literacy, affordability issues, and concerns about privacy among others. These gaps highlight areas where policymakers and businesses must focus to make the digital revolution truly inclusive.
What this means is clear: India’s digital backbone is strengthening at a rapid pace, with its youth leading the charge. The nearly universal adoption of UPI and smartphones isn't just about convenience — it’s about laying the foundation for a more connected, empowered, and data-driven economy.
Read more: Economic Times
GENERAL OVERVIEW
🗞️ Bite-sized summaries
☄️ Collision Avoidance Manoeuvres - ISRO has conducted 122 Collision Avoidance Manoeuvres (CAMs) for Earth-orbiting satellites since 2010, with the highest—23—between 2022 and 2023. Improved analysis techniques led to fewer CAMs in 2024. The agency uses data from the US Space Command and its own systems to assess collision risks. As of December 2024, India had launched 136 Earth-orbiting spacecraft, with 22 active in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 31 in Geo-synchronous Earth Orbit (GEO). Two deep space missions—Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter and Aditya-L1—remain active. In 2024, nine satellites and five rocket bodies re-entered Earth's atmosphere, including Cartosat-2.
🇨🇳 Chinese nationalism - Rory Truex, a Princeton professor, examines China’s rising nationalism under Xi Jinping and evolving US-China relations, marked by strategic competition since Donald Trump’s presidency. Many Chinese view economic tensions with the US as part of China’s national rejuvenation. While full economic decoupling would be costly, the CCP is preparing citizens for such outcomes. Truex explains that China’s “consultative authoritarianism” allows limited public input, though these mechanisms have weakened under Xi. Despite repression, dissent exists—especially among minorities, feminists, and in regions like Hong Kong. Business elites remain aligned with the CCP, which has evolved into an elite-driven party despite its communist roots.
HEADLINES
🧑🍳 What else is cookin’?
What’s happening in India (and around the world 🌍️)
Tariff war create opportunity for India in some of sectors: CEA V Anantha Nageswaran.
Talks and terror cannot go together: India on Pakistan PM Sharif's call.
Quick commerce is 20% of India’s ecommerce and growing fast.
Elon Musk’s timeline at DOGE: From ambitious reforms to abrupt exit
CULTURE
🍿 Entertainment, Entertainment, Entertainment
Source: NDTV sports
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That’s all for today folks - have a lovely day and we’ll see you next week.