Dheemanth Nagaraj urges Indian government to become 1st deeptech customer
At the ET Startup Awards 2026, Agrani Labs CEO Dheemanth Nagaraj called on the Indian government to step up as the first customer for homegrown deeptech startups.
He believes this kind of support is key for local companies to get noticed and actually compete with global tech giants, saying, "The government has to be the first customer and create markets."
Nagaraj stresses quality and technological sovereignty
Nagaraj pointed out that Indian consumers won't settle for low-quality products just because they're cheaper, so local tech needs to match global standards.
With solid government backing, he says Indian firms could prove their technology works at scale, both in India and abroad.
Plus, building this tech at home would give companies greater control over their own intellectual property and help strengthen the country's technological sovereignty.