Prof. Satyanarayanan Seshadri | "We used to call it the kitchen that cooks startups" | Ep. 4

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

November 29, 2024

Duration

1h 10m

Channel

Best Place To Build

Watch on YouTube

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📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Prof. Satya Seshadri takes us through IIT Madras's remarkable transformation from a traditional academic institution to a dynamic learning ecosystem. As the Shell Chair Professor and a key architect of the innovation stack at IITM, he shares how the campus evolved from having just a foundry workshop to creating India's most comprehensive innovation ecosystem. From converting an abandoned hostel kitchen into a "kitchen that cooks startups" to building a full-fledged startup pre-incubator, Prof. Seshadri reveals how IIT Madras built its entrepreneurship pipeline. Discover how CFI (Center For Innovation) grew from a student tinkering lab to hosting specialized clubs, and how Nirmaan emerged as a pre-incubator helping students transition from makers to entrepreneurs. Drawing from his extensive experience in industry and academia, Prof. Seshadri also dives deep into global decarbonization efforts, the impact of AI on energy consumption, and his own journey from studying aerosols to founding clean-tech ventures. Discover how IIT Madras is nurturing the next generation of deep-tech unicorns, learn about the evolution of student maker spaces, and understand the critical role of faculty in bridging the gap between research and market impact. 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:10 Story of 'The kitchen that cooks startups' 00:08:06 Degree in entrepreneurship 00:11:30 Shell Chair Professor and Energy Consortium 00:17:00 Technology Readiness Levels 00:21:57 From a 'teaching institution' to a 'learning institution' 00:24:26 Decarbonisation 00:27:18 AI and energy consumption 00:30:52 Climate change governance 00:34:26 His journey into this ecosystem 00:45:22 Pyramid structure towards GHG reduction 00:50:12 His startups 00:54:07 Starting up in deep-tech or heavy-tech 01:01:17 Managing the huge workload to do so much 01:03:40 Why IIT Madras is the Best Place to Build 01:06:22 IP ecosystem at IIT Madras 01:10:05 Wrap References: Nirmaan, IIT Madras: https://nirmaan.iitm.ac.in Centre for Innovation at IIT Madras: https://cfi.iitm.ac.in/ The Energy Consortium, IIT Madras: https://energyconsortium.org/ Indus DC: https://indusdc.com/ TRIGeN: https://trigendc.com/ Wankel Energy Systems: https://wankel.in/ Energy ETA: https://www.energyeta.ai/ To know more about what makes IIT Madras- the Best Place to Build- hit https://www.bestplacetobuild.com/

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Satyanarayanan Seshadri

  guest

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Best Place To Build, featuring Satyanarayanan Seshadri, Prof. Satyanarayanan Seshadri | "We used to call it the kitchen that cooks startups" | Ep. 4 explores IIT Madras’ startup kitchen: deep-tech, energy innovation, risk culture thrives IIT Madras’ innovation stack evolved from CFI’s student maker culture into Nirmaan’s pre-incubation and a broader pipeline that supports ventures from tinkering to global scaling.

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