Pune: Dr. Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Persistent Systems, delivered a talk on “Scaling Technology Startups,” at Venture Center in Pune, followed by the launch of CanDid Vol. 2 authored by senior journalist N. Ramakrishnan.
The event brought together entrepreneurs, innovators, and members of the startup ecosystem for an evening focused on deeptech entrepreneurship, innovation-led growth, and founder journeys.
During the session, Dr. Deshpande reflected on his experience of building Persistent Systems into a globally recognized technology enterprise and shared insights on scaling innovation-driven ventures, building strong teams and culture, identifying market opportunities, and sustaining long-term growth.
“Customers don’t buy technology; they buy a solution to a problem,” said Dr. Deshpande during the session, emphasizing the importance of customer understanding and problem-solving in technology entrepreneurship.
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Drawing from examples including Paper Boat and GE Healthcare, Dr. Deshpande explained how successful ventures are often built not only around technology but around a deep understanding of customer behavior, needs, and context. He also spoke about the role of culture, mission, and purpose in building enduring organizations.
“If you want to create a team, you need a mountain to create the team. People want to work for the problem you have, the mission, the purpose,” he remarked.
Apart from leading Persistent Systems, Dr. Deshpande currently serves as the Co-Chair of BRIC (Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council), Government of India. He has also actively supported scientist-led and deeptech entrepreneurship initiatives across the country.
The event also marked the official launch of CanDid Vol. 2, Venture Center’s latest publication featuring 15 founder journeys from the deeptech and science-led startup ecosystem.
Authored by N. Ramakrishnan, the publication brings together stories of ventures working across healthcare, sustainability, energy, engineering, agriculture, robotics, materials science, mobility, and other emerging technology sectors.
Speaking about the publication, Dr. Premnath Venugopalan, Founder and Director of Venture Center, described CanDid as “a candid account of selected deeptech startups from the Venture Center family.”
He further added, “The book aims to inspire the next generation of scientist entrepreneurs while capturing the grit, perseverance, and realities of building deeptech startups in India.”
The evening also marked the introduction of CanDid Conversations, a podcast series designed to extend these founder stories and ecosystem discussions beyond the pages of the book.
The initiative aims to continue conversations around innovation, entrepreneurship, and the evolving deeptech ecosystem in India.
With the launch of CanDid Vol. 2 and the introduction of CanDid Conversations, Venture Center highlighted its continued focus on fostering deeptech entrepreneurship and supporting founders building science-led ventures in India.
