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Home > Founder Thesis > Ankur Capital's Ritu Verma on Investing in India's Deep Science Revolution
Podcast: Founder Thesis
Episode:

Ankur Capital's Ritu Verma on Investing in India's Deep Science Revolution
Category: Business
Duration: 01:31:30
Publish Date: 2026-02-05 06:30:00
Description:

Dr. Ritu Verma, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ankur Capital, breaks down her decade-long journey from experimental physics at the University of Pennsylvania to building one of India's most respected deep tech VC funds.   

With portfolio companies like Captain Fresh heading toward a billion-dollar IPO, Offgrid Energy Labs pioneering zinc battery technology, and String Bio revolutionizing precision fermentation, Ritu shares the contrarian strategies that generated 30% IRR returns. From raising Fund I with a random Colorado angel investor to securing commitments from British International Investment and the US DFC for Fund III, this conversation covers the scrappy realities of VC fundraising in India, the multiplication formula most founders miss during term sheet negotiations, and why mediocrity in early hires destroys startups.   

Ritu also unpacks India's transformation from IP-averse to filing 100,000 patents annually with 50% domestic share, the codification thesis powering B2B marketplace unicorns, and how Indian defense is becoming the guinea pig customer for deep tech. She shared these hard-won insights in this candid conversation with host Akshay Datt, offering a masterclass in patient capital, portfolio construction, and ecosystem building through initiatives like ThinkAg and the Deep Science Forum.  

What You'll Learn:  
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