Latest news with #Kalale
The Hindu
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Mysuru: CFTRI can emerge as a launchpad for entrepreneurs, says expert
TiE Mysuru chapter president Bhaskar Kalale emphasised food-tech entrepreneurship during the event to mark National Technology Day 2025 on Wednesday and said that India is seeing an explosion in the sector. 'From millet-based snacks to vertical farming, young innovators are solving real problems. But often, they lack the deep scientific validation that institutions like CFTRI can provide. This is where CFTRI must evolve from a knowledge hub to a launchpad for entrepreneurs,' he said. Addressing scientists and the staff of the CSIR-CFTRI on the occasion of National Technology Day-2025, in the institute campus in Mysuru, he said, a student here has developed a high-protein biscuit using waste pulses. Instead of publishing it alone, she partnered with an incubator to launch it as a rural enterprise. Likewise, a researcher working on food spoilage uses predictive analytics to build a supply-chain startup with shelf-life monitoring. 'We need technopreneurs—scientists who are also problem-solvers, communicators, and business leaders. CFTRI can nurture ideas through innovation labs, patent clinics, business mentoring, and seed funding platforms,' Mr. Kalale said. 'AI is reshaping every industry—and food is no exception. In food tech, AI can be the invisible force that drives efficiency, personalization, and safety,' he said. CFTRI can think of using computer vision to detect contaminants in real time (AI in food safety); analyzing thousands of food samples to uncover micronutrient trends (AI in nutrition research) and designing recipes tailored to regional deficiencies or specific age groups (AI in food formulation) and forecasting demand, optimizing distribution, and extending shelf life (AI in reducing waste), he said. 'But AI is not a magic wand. It needs curated data, domain expertise, and continuous learning. CFTRI is uniquely positioned to lead AI-driven food innovation—because you have the science, the data, and the vision,' he noted. He urged the CFTRI to invest in AI capacity-building—collaborate with tech institutions, bring in data scientists, and build AI-ready labs. The future does not belong to the isolated innovator. It belongs to the collaborative ecosystem—where academia, startups, corporates, farmers, and consumers co-create solutions. Mr. Kalale spoke on the enormous potential for collaboration between TiE and CFTRI. TiE, as many of you know, is a global network of entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, and thought leaders committed to fostering entrepreneurship. We have seen firsthand how mentorship, funding access, and global exposure can transform a researcher's idea into a scalable startup. CFTRI holds decades of scientific depth, credibility, and food innovation expertise. 'TiE can help CFTRI researchers and students translate lab research into market-ready ventures through mentorship, business model development, and investor connections. CFTRI can become a technology partner to TiE's startup ecosystem, offering validated solutions and expert guidance to food-tech entrepreneurs,' he suggested. He said TiE Angels and other investor networks can support deep-tech food ventures incubated at CFTRI, helping them scale faster and smarter. CFTRI Director Sridevi Annapurna Singh presided over the event.
Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
‘Very promising and intelligent': a friend remembers Karnataka tech CEO Harshavardhana Kikkeri
Days after Harshavardhana S Kikkeri, a tech entrepreneur from Karnataka, allegedly shot dead his wife and one of his sons before taking his own life in Washington state, US, his friend in Mysuru Wednesday expressed his shock over the deaths. Harshavardhana S Kikkeri, 57, who was the CEO of HoloWorld, a robotics company headquartered in Mysuru town, reportedly shot Shwetha Panyam, 44, his wife and co-founder of HoloWorld, and their 14-year-old son. While the incident took place on April 24 in Newcastle, Washington, the police in the US town are yet to reveal the motive behind his actions. Speaking to The Indian Express, Bhaskar Kalale, Chairman, EqualizeRCM said Kikkeri was a very active tech-savvy friend. 'The last time I met him was in Mysuru about a year ago. He was very promising, intelligent, and had accomplished a lot of things. In fact, cricketer Yuvraj Singh had funded his organisation and also was the brand ambassador,' added Kalale, who is also the president of the Mysuru chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). 'Many from the business fraternity in Mysuru thought that he was juggling between the US and Mysuru and never knew he had shifted his family,' Kalale said. Kalale said Kikkeri, also a TEDx speaker, used to deliver several talks in Mysuru about technology and innovation. While none of Kikkeri's family members lived in Mysuru, HoloWorld was headquartered in the town's Vijayanagar Third Stage area. He also ran a training centre for robotics in Mysuru. Speaking to the media, the owner of the building where Kikkeri had his office said he started it in 2018, but it was shut down after 2022. The training centre for robotics was also shut, but the HoloWorld operated from Mysuru and the US. 'He was a very reserved person who spoke less but was very humble,' the building owner added. Meanwhile, Brandyn Hull, spokesperson of the sheriff in King County, Washington, told the media they are investigating whether the deaths were a murder-suicide. 'An investigation such as this takes time, and our detectives are working diligently to try and piece together what led to this incident,' Hull said in a statement. American newspaper The Seattle Times reported the police attended a 911 call around 7 pm on April 24, and they found three people dead, and a toddler alive. According to the report, the detectives found blood on the front window, and a lone hollow point bullet in the street. Kikkeri, who belonged to the Kikkeri village in Mandya, graduated from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering in Mysuru, and worked with Microsoft in the US, focusing on robotics. He also had a Master of Science degree from Syracuse University, US. Kikkeri held 44 international patents, and worked in Infosys as a software engineer before moving to the US. In 2017, he and his wife, Shwetha, returned to India and co-founded HoloWorld. The company gained recognition in 2018 with the launch of HoloSuit, a wireless full-body motion capture suit used in sports, education, healthcare, and other fields. The company's products were exported to countries, including the US, the UK, and Israel.
