Point1EM Ventures

Where Research becomes Companies
and Companies return to Research

Bridging Research, Capital & Execution

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About The Thesis

India has the science. What it needs is the interface

India has strong science, world-class research labs, and serious technical talent. Yet the path from research to venture-scale deeptech company still depends too much on chance — while existing startups and industry struggle to meaningfully access the research ecosystem.

For most researchers the default path is already defined: PhD, postdoc, academia, industry, or research abroad. Company creation is rarely the designed outcome — even when the underlying research has commercial potential.

Position

We operate upstream of the visible startup pipeline. Before a company exists. Before the term sheet. Before the demo day. Through a KPI-led 6–12 month venture-formation process backed by Formation Grants, we identify commercially meaningful research, shape venture hypotheses, assemble founding teams, and validate technical and market readiness.

At the same time we make the research ecosystem legible and accessible to existing startups, corporates, and investors — routing them to relevant labs, professors, infrastructure, pilot opportunities, and technical talent across Indian institutions.

Point1EM positioning — the translation layer between research and venture

"The science is here. The labs are world-class. The translation layer is what's been missing."

— Operating Thesis
Research Labs Upstream of the Pipeline

We work with researchers, PhDs, postdocs, professors at Indian labs — before a startup exists

Approach

Through a KPI-led 6–12 month venture-formation process, we identify commercially meaningful research, shape venture hypotheses, assemble founding teams, attach lab infrastructure, and validate technical feasibility, market viability, and founder resilience — well before any seed investment is contemplated.

Research Sourcing

Surfacing commercially meaningful work emerging out of Indian institutions — across materials, biotech, hardware, semiconductors, energy, and applied AI.

Venture Hypothesis

Translating research into a venture-scale thesis — market shape, customer wedge, defensibility, and the path to first revenue.

Founding Team

Pairing technical founders with operating co-founders. Stress-testing chemistry, conviction, and founder resilience over months — not weeks.

Lab Attachment

Anchoring early ventures inside the institutions where the science lives — equipment, infrastructure, and the right principal investigators.

Capital Formation Grants

Capital designed for the pre-company stage

Formation Grants of INR 1–3 crore back each engagement — funding science-to-company translation before institutional capital arrives

Most seed funds expect a company. Most grant programmes don't expect a company. We sit between the two — backing the period in which a research result becomes a venture hypothesis, a team, and a path to first customers. Funding is tied to KPIs covering technical feasibility, market viability, and founder resilience.

Cheque size
1–3Cr
INR Formation Grants backing each venture-formation engagement.
Engagement
6–12mo
KPI-led process to validate technology, market, and team — before seed.
Stage
T0
Upstream of seed. We invest before the company has a name, sometimes before it has founders.

A six-stage formation protocol

  1. Research Identification Mapping commercially meaningful work emerging from Indian research institutions.
  2. Hypothesis Shaping Converting science into a venture-scale hypothesis with customer, wedge, and path.
  3. Team Assembly Sourcing and matching technical and operating co-founders.
  4. Lab & Infra Anchoring Securing institutional infrastructure, equipment, and advisory networks.
  5. Technical & Market Validation De-risking the science and the market in parallel against pre-defined KPIs.
  6. Seed Readiness Graduating the venture into the visible startup pipeline — ready for institutional capital.
Startups & Industry The Return Path

Companies return to Research

Companies trying to build hard technologies often struggle to navigate Indian research institutions. The right labs, the right professors, the right testing infrastructure, the right pilot opportunity — it all remains fragmented and relationship-driven.

Point1EM provides startups, corporates, and investors with a structured way to access this ecosystem — and the deeptech talent inside it.

  • Relevant labs & professors
  • Testing & characterisation infrastructure
  • Advisory & scientific networks
  • Pilot & deployment opportunities
  • Domain experts on demand
  • Technical & research talent
An Operating Principle
Where research becomes companies and companies return to research.
Begin a conversation →
Contact Begin a Conversation

Researchers, founders, corporates, allocators — we are listening.

Direct

veerendra@point1emventures.com

Researchers & PhDs

If your research has commercial potential and you've ever wondered what comes after the paper — write to us.

Startups & Industry

If you need structured access to Indian research labs, equipment, or talent — we can route you to the right institutions.