In the age of AI, large corporations — not just startups — can move fast. I often speak with large companies’ C-suite and Boards about AI strategy and implementation, and would like to share some ideas that are applicable to big companies. One key is to create an environment…
Every investor wants to back a disruptive startup that can make money. India sees 50,000+ new startups a year. And every founder gets asked the same question- What’s new in what you’re building?. Maybe it’s time founders asked VCs the same. What’s new in your fund? What edge do…
I had early access to what is Claude 4 (I don't know which model) & I have been very impressed.
Fun example, this is what it made in response to the prompt: "the book Piranesi as a p5js 3d space. do it for me" - just that, no other prompting (note the birds, water, lighting) pic.twitter.com/cvYTE4wyvB
Or, I only make two investments per year, regardless of how many good deals come my way.
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) May 22, 2025
One of @sama's writings that has stuck with me for a long time is this -
"I am willing to take as much time as needed between projects to find my next thing. But I always want it to be a project that, if successful, will make the rest of my career look like a footnote."
This…
— Prateek Sharma // Ahead VC (@prateeks) May 22, 2025
Please invest. Idea: Facebook killer. Why Thinking Big Is the Safest Bet in the Age of AI and Exponential Technologies https://t.co/4oO02NIV9p AI-Era Social Network: Reimagined for Truth, Trust & Transformation https://t.co/QCQYG5NSkJ
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) May 22, 2025
TBH, this is an amazing idea- for Mr India and for a whole series of Bollywood classics, especially if done internationally. The indian diaspora will go crazy :D https://t.co/WkLp0YL0Qq
My startup Bytras is exactly what your blog calls for climate focused,rooted in Bharat,and solving a real world problem at scale.We turn recycled plastic into durable,wood-like furniture with our own compound, built to outlast wood and disrupt $560 Billion market. Your thoughts?
Rethinking VC and Angel Investing for India’s Ground Realities
When Alibaba reimagined e-commerce for China, it didn’t just clone Amazon. It built something uniquely tailored to China’s infrastructure, behaviors, and socioeconomic terrain. It factored in low credit card penetration, informal small businesses, and a deeply fragmented logistics system. The result wasn’t just a local success—it became a global case study in adaptation-driven innovation.
Now, imagine applying the same principle to venture capital (VC) and angel investing in India.
Too often, Indian startups are judged by Silicon Valley metrics: blitzscale or die, grow at all costs, burn capital fast, and chase unicorn status. But India’s ground realities demand a fundamentally different model—one that’s more patient, locally informed, and impact-oriented.
1. Smaller Checks, Longer Runways
In the US, angel rounds often start at $500K+. In India, a $50K investment can sustain a small team for a year. Instead of pushing startups to burn cash fast, Indian investing should prioritize frugality, sustainability, and iterative growth—something that aligns more with India’s jugaad (creative problem-solving) culture.
2. Beyond Tier-1 Cities
Silicon Valley VCs mostly fund startups in tech hubs. In India, real innovation is happening in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities—in agri-tech, ed-tech for vernacular learners, micro-finance platforms, rural healthcare delivery, and more. A grounded VC model would focus on these regions, understanding hyper-local needs rather than importing urban elite assumptions.
3. Profit Before Valuation
In the US, profitability is often sacrificed in favor of rapid valuation growth. In India, the priority should be unit economics. A small profitable startup serving 10,000 customers in Bihar might have more long-term value than a loss-making urban app chasing 10 million downloads.
4. Tech for Bharat, Not Just India
India isn’t one market; it’s a patchwork of languages, cultures, and access levels. A grounded VC approach would fund tools in local languages, USSD-based fintech for feature phones, or AI-powered tutoring for government school students. These ventures may not look “sexy” to a Silicon Valley lens—but they solve deep problems for the 800 million Indians living outside the digital elite bubble.
5. Blended Returns: Financial + Social
Indian VCs must rethink success metrics. Impact investing, often treated as a niche in the US, should be mainstream in India. A startup that lifts 100,000 people out of poverty and makes a 5x return should be celebrated more than one that burns through $100M to build a food delivery app for millionaires.
6. Infrastructure as Opportunity
In the US, investors avoid sectors that depend on state infrastructure. In India, infrastructure gaps—poor roads, patchy internet, unbanked populations—are the opportunity. The VC that funds solutions to these systemic holes (like mobile education vans or solar-powered micro-ATMs) is not only backing future unicorns—they’re building the rails of the new economy.
7. Mentorship Over Capital
Capital alone doesn’t build companies—mentorship does. Grounded investing in India means local mentorship: investors who speak the language, understand local policy, know the panchayat system, and can guide founders through the maze of Indian bureaucracy, corruption, and grassroots marketing.
Conclusion: India Needs Indigenous Capitalism
Just as Alibaba adapted to China's context, India needs a VC and angel investing ecosystem that is made for India, not just imported to India. This means embracing local ingenuity, focusing on deep impact, and redefining success beyond Silicon Valley norms. The next generation of Indian unicorns won’t be built in glass towers—they’ll emerge from dusty classrooms, rural farms, and narrow startup lanes in Jaipur, Ranchi, and Coimbatore.
Google Gemini and Veo 3 are both cutting-edge products from Google, but they come from different innovation streams: Gemini is Google DeepMind's advanced multimodal AI model (text, image, code, audio, video), while Veo 3 is a generative video model capable of creating high-quality, cinematic, long-form videos from text prompts. When combined strategically, Gemini can supercharge Veo 3 in several transformative ways:
1. Multimodal Prompt Engineering and Refinement
Gemini can act as a smart assistant or co-pilot for crafting highly detailed prompts for Veo 3. Instead of manually entering plain text, creators could:
Describe a general idea, and Gemini refines it into rich, scene-by-scene prompts.
Automatically generate detailed camera movements, lighting descriptions, character behavior, emotion arcs, etc., tailored for Veo's cinematic engine.
Example:
User: "I want a sci-fi chase scene at sunset."
Gemini-enhanced prompt: "A neon-lit drone chase through the narrow alleys of a future Tokyo at dusk, with golden rays piercing through metallic skyscrapers and dynamic camera shifts tracking every twist."
2. Real-Time Video Editing & Iteration via Conversational AI
Gemini could make Veo 3 an interactive video creation tool. Instead of iterating with prompt tweaks manually:
Users talk to Gemini: “Make it more emotional,” “Add slow motion,” or “Change the background to a forest.”
Gemini interprets and refines the Veo 3 settings live, almost like having a creative film director on standby.
3. Fusion of Storytelling + Video Creation
Gemini excels at storytelling, narrative structure, and dialogue. Paired with Veo 3:
Gemini can generate full scripts or storyboards, with Veo 3 generating each shot.
Ideal for short films, advertisements, educational videos, or animations.
Gemini could also inject character arcs, plot twists, pacing suggestions, etc., and Veo visualizes them.
4. Context-Aware Scene Expansion
Gemini understands context across sequences — so it can ensure continuity and coherence across multiple scenes Veo generates.
Maintaining wardrobe consistency, weather conditions, character expressions.
Smooth transitions and thematic unity throughout longer videos.
5. Personalization and Branding at Scale
With Gemini’s understanding of brand tone, audience profiles, and style guides, it could help Veo 3 generate:
On-brand videos for different audiences (e.g., Gen Z, professionals, different regions).
Versions of a video localized in tone, language, symbolism using Gemini's language and cultural intelligence.
6. Deep Integration with Google Ecosystem
Gemini is baked into Google Workspace and Search. This can allow:
Integration with Google Slides to auto-generate video intros.
Real-time data visualizations in Veo using Gemini’s ability to turn spreadsheets into animated charts and scenes.
Video summaries, captions, scripts auto-generated from Docs or Gmail threads.
7. AI-Assisted Filmmaking Tools for All
Together, Gemini and Veo 3 could democratize filmmaking by offering:
An end-to-end AI video studio, from idea to script to visuals to narration.
Filmmakers, educators, marketers, and kids can bring ideas to life with a conversation.
8. Future Vision: AI-Directed Movies
Gemini could one day serve as an AI director, guiding Veo 3 through:
Mood boards
Shot composition
Scene pacing
Actor direction (for animated humans)
It’s not just about generating a video — it’s about directing a cohesive, intelligent audiovisual experience.
In Summary
Google Gemini can elevate Veo 3 from a powerful generative video tool to a full-fledged intelligent creative partner. The combination brings together:
Gemini's narrative reasoning, multimodal understanding, and conversational fluency
Veo’s high-fidelity, cinematic-quality video generation
Together, they don't just generate videos—they co-create stories, emotions, experiences, at the speed of thought.
> a video with dialogue of two muffins while baking in an over, the first muffin says "I can't believe this Veo 3 thing can do dialogue now!", the second muffin says "AAAAH, a talking muffin!" pic.twitter.com/VA2VUZF8sS
I thought my "otter on a plane using Wifi" benchmark was already done, but Veo 3 adds higher quality... and sound
Here is "an otter on a plane using wifi on their phone, the flight attendant asks them "do you want a drink ?" and the otter nods" (One of the first set of 4 videos) pic.twitter.com/aIf7MaTNQr
