Sharan Srinivas | CTO, Mindgrove Technologies | “You have to be crazy to want to make silicon”| Ep.9

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

January 17, 2025

Duration

1h 11m

Channel

Best Place To Build

Watch on YouTube

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📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Fresh off raising $8M, Sharan Srinivas J, Mindgrove's CTO, shares an insider's view of building India's first commercial microcontroller—where they are trying to make it big in an industry dominated by trillion-dollar goliaths. Mindgrove Technologies isn't just another startup—it's the protagonist in India’s journey towards semiconductor independence. But this isn't just a story about chips. It's about a man who finds solace in stress cleaning, watches mindless movies to unwind, and is building something extraordinary at Mindgrove, along with his PhD on the side. Journey with us through:

• Semiconductor ecosystem and how they are a part of our everyday lives
• Why semiconductor startups are a "special grade of mental"
• The evolution of the Shakti processor into a commercial game-changer
• Mindgrove’s products- Secure IoT, Vision SoC
• Life lessons from someone crazy enough to compete with trillion-dollar tech giants

Perfect for:

• Tech enthusiasts curious about how their phones really work
• JEE aspirants dreaming of building something big
• Entrepreneurs ready to embrace the "fail fast" philosophy
• Anyone fascinated by India's journey to tech sovereignty

From fab to foundry, from nanometer technology to investor confidence, this episode unpacks the complexities of building a semiconductor startup in India. Join us as we discover how a casual conversation at IIT Madras turned into a mission to reshape India's technological future. Chapterisation: 00:00:00 Introduction & Funding Announcement 00:02:45 Understanding the Semiconductor Industry Basics 00:04:00 Components of the Semiconductor Ecosystem 00:08:00 Deep Dive: Silicon Wafers and Chip Manufacturing 00:14:00 The Technology Behind 3nm vs 28nm Chips 00:17:00 Mindgrove's Product Portfolio: SecureIoT 00:20:00 Commercial Grade vs Technology Demonstrators 00:22:00 Inside System-on-Chip (SoC) Architecture 00:25:00 Vision SoC: Next Generation Product 00:27:30 India's Semiconductor Mission 00:31:00 Job Creation and Economic Impact 00:35:00 Technology Innovation & Software Integration 00:36:00 Industry-Academia Bridge: From Lab to Market 00:37:00 Inside RISE Lab's Ecosystem 00:40:00 Startup Journey & Academic Balance 00:41:00 Government Support & Institutional Dynamics 00:46:00 Breaking Records: 8-Month Chip Design 00:49:00 Behind the Scenes: Work-Life Balance 00:52:00 The Birth of Shakti Chip: "It'll Come When You Make It" 00:54:00 Finding the Right Market Position for Shakti 00:57:00 The Reality of Making Silicon: A Billion-Dollar Industry 00:59:00 The Journey from Research to Commercialization 01:01:00 The IIT Madras Ecosystem: Support Systems and Infrastructure 01:02:00 Understanding and Handling Failure 01:04:00 Personal Story: The ETH Zurich Challenge 01:08:00 Finding Joy and Balance: Personal Interests 01:10:00 Closing Thoughts References Mindgrove Technologies - https://www.mindgrovetech.in/ Shakti Processor - Developed at IIT Madras RISE lab https://shakti.org.in/ India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) https://ism.gov.in/ Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme https://ism.gov.in/design-linked-incentive.html IITM Incubation Cell - https://www.linkedin.com/company/iitm-incubation-cell/posts/?feedView=all IITM Pravartak - https://iitmpravartak.org.in/ Peak XV Partners - https://www.peakxv.com/ Speciale Invest - https://www.specialeinvest.com/ Rocketship.vc - http://rocketship.vc/ Mela Ventures - https://melaventures.in/ Whiteboard Capita - https://www.whiteboardcap.com/ IITM Research Park - https://respark.iitm.ac.in/ IITM RISE Lab - https://iitm-riselab.github.io/ To know more about what makes IIT Madras- the Best Place to Build- hit https://www.bestplacetobuild.com/

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Sharan Srinivas

  guest

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Best Place To Build, featuring Sharan Srinivas, Sharan Srinivas | CTO, Mindgrove Technologies | “You have to be crazy to want to make silicon”| Ep.9 explores Mindgrove CTO explains building chips, India’s mission, and failure. Mindgrove raised about $8M in Series A, with returning investors doubling down and new participation from Rocketship VC and Mela Ventures, plus approval under India’s Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme worth ~₹15 crore upon milestones.

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