Problems I’m thinking about
Crisp problem statements + what you’ve tried + what you’re building next.
Problem areas
Rural productivity: The physical work problem
Can you build robotics at unit economics that actually increase rural incomes?
The gap: Rural India has 65% of the population but less than 40% of consumption. This isn't just an infrastructure problem or a distribution problem. It's an income problem. And income, for most rural households, is tied to physical labor: agriculture, construction, local services. The unlock isn't more software. It's physical automation that actually makes economic sense at the household level.
What's broken
- Software doesn't help if the bottleneck is physical labor
- Most "rural tech" is theater—apps that assume smartphone penetration, fintech that doesn't change the income equation
- Hardware startups in India are rare, and the ones that exist tend to target export or urban markets
The unlock
Robotics at unit economics that make sense for a household earning about Rs. 2,00,000/month. Not fancy. Not smart. Just durable, repairable, and cheap enough to pay back in 6 months.
Status:
early research
Angle: robotics + unit economics
Energy independence: The mineral dependency trap
How does India reduce structural energy reliance when critical inputs are geopolitically concentrated?
The gap: India imports 75-80% of its crude oil and nearly all its lithium, cobalt, and rare earths. The clean energy transition doesn't reduce this exposure, it just shifts it. We're swapping dependence on OPEC for dependence on a handful of mining jurisdictions, most dominated by China. The state is aware, the policy documents are dense with strategy. But the procurement-based playbook isn't scaling.
What's broken
- Domestic mining is slow: permitting, litigation, land acquisition
- Recycling infra is nascent; battery volumes aren't there yet
- Strategic partnerships are diplomatic theater and joint ventures with no material output
The unlock
Technology solutions that break the dependency loop, whether it's sodium-ion batteries that skip lithium, synthesis routes that reduce rare earth content, or recycling tech that catches up before it's too late.
Status:
nascent
Angle: tech substitution over procurement strategy