In a recent conversation with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, Meta AI chief Yann LeCun shared his advice for aspiring AI entrepreneurs in India. He emphasized the importance of pursuing an academic degree, particularly a master’s or PhD, in technical and complex fields like artificial intelligence before starting a startup. According to LeCun, this training helps individuals invent new things and prevents them from fooling themselves into thinking they are innovators when they are not. While a PhD is not a strict requirement for success, it offers significant advantages for entrepreneurs, giving them a different perspective and a deeper understanding of what is possible in the complex world of AI.
This advice resonated with many founders, including Pijush Bhuyan, a computer vision engineer at Awiros, who believes that deep-tech startups require technical people with hands-on experience in implementing state-of-the-art research papers. Amit Sheth, the chair and founding director of the Artificial Intelligence Institute at the University of South Carolina, also agrees with LeCun, citing several successful startups founded by his PhD students. However, Rajan Anandan, managing director at Peak XV Partners, believes that the Indian startup ecosystem would benefit from more founders with deep expertise in AI and software development. Currently, only 8% of newly launched AI startups have founders with a PhD degree, according to research.
A 2017 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research also supports LeCun’s advice, showing that startups with at least one PhD founder are more likely to succeed and have higher valuations at IPO. However, Vishnu Vardhan, founder of Vizzhy and SML, believes that Indian startups often prioritize business applications over foundational innovation, with investors seeking quick returns rather than long-term deep-tech investments. He also notes that many so-called “deep tech” investors have no clear theses, highlighting the need for more support and investment in deep-tech startups in India.
