DTM E40. Creating social impact through robotics & AI - Solinas

Divanshu is the co-founder of Solinas, which is a deep-tech IITM incubated start-up that develops robotic & AI solutions for the pipeline and sanitation industry, solving problems of water leakages and eliminating manual scavenging. Their products organize the management of pipelines and tanks by providing efficient solutions and data-driven decision-making for their customers. Solinas has won multiple awards in its journey till now.

Divanshu is a recent mechanical engineering graduate from IITM and a young entrepreneur who is passionate about solving complex problems using first-principle thinking. He firmly believes in the power of technology and is constantly looking to amplify the impact of social enterprises through that. He was one of the only 2 students to receive both an academic and a nonacademic institute prize while graduating in 2019. He is a regular speaker at events organized by WEF, TFI, IIT Madras, BITS, and others

In this episode, Divanshu shares his story on building his startup and the products that Solinas is building. He gives his thought on the predicament of a robot replacing a human and how he views the situation. He shares how Solinas has structured itself to build products that are more pull than push products. Finally, he shares insights on how Solinas intends to build moats and his advice to entrepreneurs in the same field looking to make it from zero to one.

Divanshu Kumar – divanshukumar (LinkedIn), div_involve (Twitter)

Solinas Integrity Pvt. Ltd. - www.solinas.in/ (Web), solinasintegrity (LinkedIn)

Pronojit, DTM Podcast - pronojitsaha (LinkedIn), @pronojits (Twitter)

Show notes:

(00:00:36) Divanshu’s background and experience in starting the IIT Formula Electric team

(00:02:05) What motivated Divanshu to startup?

(00:04:12) What are the products that Solinas is building?

(00:06:32) A perfect case of a robot replacing a human, does Divanshu see this situation differently?

(00:11:23) How have Solinas structured themself to build products which are more of a pull than push products?

(00:13:30) What are the main technologies at play in Solina’s products?

(00:15:27) How Solinas plans to utilize data and build vision analytics capabilities

(00:17:30) What is the intelligence layer that Solinas plans to build on top of its products?

(00:20:50) How do Solinas intend to build moats into their product?

(00:22:38) What are the biggest challenges that Solinas is facing right now?

(00:25:12) Divanshu’s advice to entrepreneurs looking to make it from zero to one in this field?