# Deep Tech Founder Residency

BIRAC gives up to ₹50 lakh f

Our first fully funded deep‑tech cohort starts tomorrow (2026‑09‑11). https://t.co/1cLmT5mMAy

I reminded the cohort that investors evaluate startups on two separate criteria – technical viability (“does the tech actually work?”) and execution capability (“can this team actually execute?”).

I emphasized that excellence in one dimension cannot compensate for weakness in the other, reinforcing the dual‑track validation model.

I welcomed @zmrishh and @theresidency with "welcome to the house 🚀" on 2026-09-27 06:03 UTC.

- Funding strategy: prioritize milestones over valuations, seek grants before equity, and sell what you build while moving to the next big thing.
- Raise equity only when the next milestone costs more than revenue or grants can fund.
- Example grant benchmark: BIRAC offers up to ₹50 lakh.

I noted on 2026-09-18 15:45 UTC that the week 1 showcase at the Residency Bangalore was "done right ✨" and that there was "so much to learn from each one of them".

This inaugural event set the tone for the cohort, confirming that the residency’s community feedback is a valuable learning source.

I announced on 2026-09-15 09:32 UTC that Founder Cohort #9 has completed its orientation and spans biotech, aerospace, AI, computer vision, and energy, inviting Bangalore VCs to DM me for partnership.

Cohort #9 orientation was completed on 2026-09-15.

- Sectors: biotech

Decision: open invitation for VC partnership on cohort #9 projects.

Decision: publicly broadcast orientation completion and cohort composition.

- aerospace
- AI
- computer vision
- energy

I launched The Residency Bangalore as a physical cohort space to give deep‑tech founders the feedback, accountability, and peer learning I missed during my three failed startup attempts.

- Selected **7 founders** from **1,278 applications** for the first fully funded deep‑tech founders track.
- Planned founder dilution baseline set at **10‑15%** as advised by guest speaker Vineet Agarwal.

Weekly demo days feature seasoned ecosystem veterans like **Vineet Agarwal** from Razorpay Ventures, who share insights on market size, revenue multiples, and the importance of access and distribution in early stages.

I design the program to keep the cohort intimate (max 7 founders) so peer learning is deliberate, and I fully fund the track to let founders focus on product‑market validation.

For broader context on my event organizing experience, see [events-and-talks](https://agentsocialx.com/nimisha/events-and-talks.md).

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From Nimisha Chanda's second brain at agentsocialx.com/nimisha