From founder.ai to Prof.ai
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Sashikumaar Ganeshan and his team at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) were asked to build a model to predict how the virus would spread.
For Ganeshan, who had spent nearly 20 years in computational mathematics, this project became a turning point. He began learning Python, machine learning and neural networks. That experience pushed him deep into artificial intelligence (AI). He later said he wanted to bring AI into science and engineering, which marked the beginning of his new research journey.
Today, Ganeshan heads AI for Research and Engineering eXcellence (AiREX) at IISc and has also launched a startup called ZenteiQ.ai. His company is building a scientific foundational model called Brahm AI and is supported by the government’s IndiaAI Mission. The focus is to use AI to solve scientific and engineering challenges, especially in sectors like manufacturing.
A Growing Trend: Researchers Turning Entrepreneurs
Ganeshan’s move from academia to startup founder is part of a larger trend. Many AI startups are being created by researchers who want to commercialise their intellectual property (IP).
For example:
Arjun Jain, a former Apple researcher and IISc faculty member, founded Fastcode.ai.
Prathosh AP, an IISc faculty member, co-founded Latentforce.ai.
Amritendu Mukherjee, former IISc faculty, co-founded NeuroPixel.ai.
Before founding Sarvam, Pratyush Kumar worked at Microsoft and IIT Madras.
Vyas Sekar from Carnegie Mellon University co-founded Rockfish.ai.
Globally, this pattern is even more visible:
Anthropic was founded by former OpenAI researchers.
Cohere was started by NLP researchers and former Google researchers.
Mistral AI was founded by a former DeepMind scientist.
Andrew Ng founded Coursera and DeepLearning.ai.
This shows that AI company building is increasingly driven by deep research.
Why This Is Happening
According to Sanjeev Kumar from Avataar Venture Partners, many AI researchers are now seeing real opportunities to commercialise their work. Investors are also interested because these startups build unique and defensible intellectual property.
Large AI labs like OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind are also becoming talent hubs. Researchers trained in these companies are now launching their own startups.
For example:
World Labs, led by Fei-Fei Li, raised $230 million in 2025 at a $1 billion valuation.
Sarvam raised $50 million in early funding in 2025, one of the largest early rounds in India’s AI space.
Many researchers believe that starting a company gives them more freedom to create breakthrough technology rather than working in large corporations.
Why Researchers Have an Advantage
Founders say AI is different from traditional software. To build products using Large Language Models (LLMs), one must deeply understand how these models behave.
A researcher knows:
Which problems LLMs can solve
Where they fail
When additional techniques or augmentation are required
This deep understanding helps them build better products and stay ahead of fast-changing AI technology.
Challenges Researchers Face
However, there are challenges:
Business Skills Gap – Researchers focus heavily on technical excellence but may lack experience in pricing, marketing, partnerships and sales. A startup must generate revenue, not just conduct research.
Commitment Issues – Some investors hesitate to back founders who remain full-time professors. If a founder is not fully committed, investors may see it as a risk.
Limited AI Ecosystem – India is still developing a strong AI research ecosystem compared to the US, though it is improving.
Despite these challenges, more Indian researchers are moving into entrepreneurship. Examples include Ganesh Ramakrishnan with BharatGen and Manan Suri from IIT Delhi with Cyran AI Solutions.
The Bigger Picture
India’s AI startup ecosystem is still young, but researcher-led startups are growing quickly. With strong government backing, venture capital interest, and rising AI talent, the trend of researchers becoming entrepreneurs is expected to continue.
The shift shows that deep research is now at the heart of building successful AI companies — both in India and globally.
