Prem Manukonda

33 posts

Prem Manukonda

Prem Manukonda

@PremManukonda

Katılım Mart 2023
315 Takip Edilen16 Takipçiler
Prem Manukonda retweetledi
Shradha Sharma
Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha·
Friday Fundraise Alert: This one comes from a 30-year-old company. Not an AI startup. Not a unicorn. IIRM Holdings is raising ₹150 crore from Carpediem Capital and Sanshi Fund-I. IIRM Holdings, whose flagship India Insure was India’s first licensed insurance broker, is now gearing up for acquisitions and global expansion. Proof that patient businesses can still attract serious capital. Quiet compounding beats loud noise every single time! Story - yourstory.com/2026/07/iirm-h… @sathyapramod9
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Orchardly ®
Orchardly ®@OrchardlyApp·
The best innovations, like the best orchards, start with a small seed & years of patient care. Thank you @SharmaShradha for telling our story. We're proud to be building the technology powering the future of apples, cherries, and Indian horticulture-one orchard at a time.
Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha

Can India's next unicorn grow on an apple tree? I keep thinking about Kashmir. Not just the orchards stretching for miles, the smell of earth and apples, but a question that has hovered over the Valley's startup ecosystem for years: can it produce a unicorn? @OrchardlyApp might just have an answer. "Farmers do not resist innovation," co-founder Ehsan Quddusi told me when we met in Srinagar last week. "They resist complexity." Most people blame Kashmir's apple troubles on climate or cheap imports. Ehsan says that diagnoses the wrong problem. The real one is the thousands of decisions made every season without data. His solution isn't just an app. It's an operating system for Kashmir's orchards: soil testing, AI advisories, physical stores, genetics. They have even helped enable the first commercial cherry exports to Singapore and Dubai. Bootstrapped. $2M revenue. 15,000+ growers. EBITDA-positive from day one. Can a model built this deep in Kashmir scale beyond the Valley? The software can travel across India. The trust, the relationships and the local intelligence are much harder to replicate. This is what gives us the most joy at YourStory: spotlighting founders building real, resilient businesses where it matters most. Read on. yourstory.com/2026/07/orchar… Cc: @PremManukonda @AdithCharlie

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Prem Manukonda retweetledi
Shradha Sharma
Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha·
Can India's next unicorn grow on an apple tree? I keep thinking about Kashmir. Not just the orchards stretching for miles, the smell of earth and apples, but a question that has hovered over the Valley's startup ecosystem for years: can it produce a unicorn? @OrchardlyApp might just have an answer. "Farmers do not resist innovation," co-founder Ehsan Quddusi told me when we met in Srinagar last week. "They resist complexity." Most people blame Kashmir's apple troubles on climate or cheap imports. Ehsan says that diagnoses the wrong problem. The real one is the thousands of decisions made every season without data. His solution isn't just an app. It's an operating system for Kashmir's orchards: soil testing, AI advisories, physical stores, genetics. They have even helped enable the first commercial cherry exports to Singapore and Dubai. Bootstrapped. $2M revenue. 15,000+ growers. EBITDA-positive from day one. Can a model built this deep in Kashmir scale beyond the Valley? The software can travel across India. The trust, the relationships and the local intelligence are much harder to replicate. This is what gives us the most joy at YourStory: spotlighting founders building real, resilient businesses where it matters most. Read on. yourstory.com/2026/07/orchar… Cc: @PremManukonda @AdithCharlie
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Prem Manukonda@PremManukonda·
@SharmaShradha Wild stat: India's apple import bill has risen nearly 40x in 20 years, in a country growing record crops. That is not a farming problem. It is an opportunity sitting wide open.
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Shradha Sharma
Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha·
A kilo of apples: ₹80 in September, ₹220 by January. India produced a record apple crop, yet spent $418 million importing 5.6 lakh tonnes in 2024-25. Why? Because India owns the harvest, but not the year. For four months, domestic apples flood the market. For the next eight, gaps in storage, grading and processing allow imports to fill the shelves. The opportunity is not simply to grow more. It is to keep premium fruit sellable longer, turn lower-grade apples into juice and concentrate and build a supply chain that earns throughout the year. In my latest deep dive with @AdithCharlie and @PremManukonda, we explore a billion-dollar opportunity hiding in plain sight for entrepreneurs. Read the full story on @YourStoryCo and tell me what you think! yourstory.com/2026/07/india-…
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Orchardly ®
Orchardly ®@OrchardlyApp·
India's apple opportunity is far bigger than production alone. The future lies in precision agriculture, AI, soil intelligence, traceability, and smarter market access. We're building the digital infrastructure for horticulture to help growers capture that opportunity.
Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha

A kilo of apples: ₹80 in September, ₹220 by January. India produced a record apple crop, yet spent $418 million importing 5.6 lakh tonnes in 2024-25. Why? Because India owns the harvest, but not the year. For four months, domestic apples flood the market. For the next eight, gaps in storage, grading and processing allow imports to fill the shelves. The opportunity is not simply to grow more. It is to keep premium fruit sellable longer, turn lower-grade apples into juice and concentrate and build a supply chain that earns throughout the year. In my latest deep dive with @AdithCharlie and @PremManukonda, we explore a billion-dollar opportunity hiding in plain sight for entrepreneurs. Read the full story on @YourStoryCo and tell me what you think! yourstory.com/2026/07/india-…

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Shradha Sharma
Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha·
The spirit of Kashmir is not just found in its mountains or its valleys. It lives in its tehzeeb; its grace, its humanity, its hospitality, and its openness to dialogue. My sincere thanks to Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah for embodying those values. He gave the time to listen, and engage so openly on ideas to build ground level entrepreneurship and scale for the women and young people of Jammu & Kashmir. Looking forward with optimism. To everyone, come and build with the most resilient and passionate people of Kashmir. You’ll be very, very inspired. ❤️💗 #Kashmirstories
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Prem Manukonda@PremManukonda·
@SharmaShradha @OmarAbdullah @YourStoryCo @BharatProjectCo They've been calling J&K paradise on earth for four hundred years. Might be time to also call it a place people build things. Ground-level entrepreneurship for women and young people is where the multiplier is highest, and conversations like this are how it starts.
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Prem Manukonda
Prem Manukonda@PremManukonda·
@SharmaShradha The most underrated point in this piece: 31 of 52 SBS-3 satellites going to private companies. The government trusting startups with national security hardware is the real inflection.
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Prem Manukonda retweetledi
Shradha Sharma
Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha·
India has cracked rocket science. Now comes the harder part: Rocket Economics. The race is no longer about who can build the best rocket. It’s about who can build a business that launches again. And again. The real question: Can programmes like SBS-3 create repeat customers, and finally give India a sustainable commercial launch market? Because rockets don’t build industries. Customers do. Let’s understand the business model behind the rocket launches. Read my detailed story with @premmanukonda and @adithcharlie to understand the economics of space tech. Thanks @visheshrajaram and @srinathr155 for the insights. yourstory.com/2026/07/india-…
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Prem Manukonda@PremManukonda·
My favourite detail from researching this piece: Micron is the company whose designs powered Samsung's first memory chip in 1983. Today, Micron's Sanand plant is the first operational facility of India's chip mission. History doesn't repeat, but in semiconductors it rhymes
Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha

We were making chips in Punjab in 1984. TSMC didn't exist yet. India started at the same line as Taiwan in 1976. What we lost wasn't capability. It was continuity. A fire in Mohali in 1989 cost us 37 years. But 2026 is where that interruption ends. • Micron is shipping from Sanand. • Kaynes built a plant in 14 months. • 12 projects worth ₹1.64 lakh crore approved. • Semicon 2.0: ₹1.27 lakh crore more. Taiwan and Korea won because they survived the bad years. Now India has the machinery to do the same. Point to note - in 2026, India’s chip mission is rapidly moving from files to physical infrastructure. Read my detailed story to understand what’s happening in India’s semiconductor story with @PremManukonda: yourstory.com/2026/07/india-…

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Prem Manukonda retweetledi
Shradha Sharma
Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha·
We were making chips in Punjab in 1984. TSMC didn't exist yet. India started at the same line as Taiwan in 1976. What we lost wasn't capability. It was continuity. A fire in Mohali in 1989 cost us 37 years. But 2026 is where that interruption ends. • Micron is shipping from Sanand. • Kaynes built a plant in 14 months. • 12 projects worth ₹1.64 lakh crore approved. • Semicon 2.0: ₹1.27 lakh crore more. Taiwan and Korea won because they survived the bad years. Now India has the machinery to do the same. Point to note - in 2026, India’s chip mission is rapidly moving from files to physical infrastructure. Read my detailed story to understand what’s happening in India’s semiconductor story with @PremManukonda: yourstory.com/2026/07/india-…
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Prem Manukonda
Prem Manukonda@PremManukonda·
Half of what we teach will be obsolete in a few years. The only durable skill is learning how to learn,and learning to build. From the man who built IIT Madras Research Park & mentored hundreds of deep-tech startups. The need of the hour isn't more syllabus. It's a new pedagogy
Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha

Education in our country today. What do we need to do? Padma Shri Professor (Dr.) Ashok Jhunjhunwala says 👇 at the launch of his memoir “Roots and Wings”

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Prem Manukonda retweetledi
Shradha Sharma
Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha·
Tomorrow morning, a rocket built by an Indian startup will attempt to reach orbit. At 11:30 AM, Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 lifts off from Sriharikota, India's first private orbital launch attempt. We've been following @SkyrootA since their earliest days. Back in 2019, when they were barely a year old, we featured them in our Tech30 list of India's most promising startups. Two ex-ISRO scientists with a dream that seemed impossible. No rocket. No launch. Just belief. Since then, we've watched them test their first engines. We've watched Vikram-S make history in 2022 as India's first private rocket to fly. We've watched them become India's first space unicorn. And through it all, we've watched them stay humble, hungry, and relentlessly focused on the mission. That's why tomorrow feels personal. When you spot a dream this early and follow it this closely, their milestones start to feel like your own. Tomorrow, they carry the dreams of a billion Indians with them. All the very best, Team Skyroot. India is rooting for you. ❤️ #Skyroot #Vikram1 #IndiaInSpace #SpaceTech #IndianStartups #MakeInIndia #Sriharikota #StartupIndia #Tech30
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Prem Manukonda@PremManukonda·
@SharmaShradha @nagendra_qpi @qpiai From importing tech to building quantum computers indigenously, this is the India story we've been waiting for. This is what Viksit Bharat actually looks like. Kudos to the QpiAI team.
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Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha·
Indias first Quantum Computer. In the league of top 5 in the world in this space. @nagendra_qpi @qpiai Yes; it’s possible. And it’s possible in India. 🇮🇳 Full story soon.
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Shradha Sharma
Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha·
Every Indian state is chasing the same headline - A big factory A marquee MOU A stage announcement Andhra Pradesh is playing a different game. Instead of only attracting companies, it’s trying to build founders, treating entrepreneurship as public infrastructure, just like roads or power. Economist Mariana Mazzucato wrote about the “Entrepreneurial State.” Andhra Pradesh, under @naralokesh, is taking that idea one step further. Here’s what’s different: -AI Hub in Visakhapatnam -Quantum Valley in Amaravati with IBM & TCS building India’s largest quantum computer -Ratan Tata Innovation Hub -Target of 20,000 startups -Co-working hubs across all 26 districts Not one startup city. An entire startup state. And the focus isn’t on signing MOUs As @naralokesh has repeatedly said, success is measured only when investments materialise and jobs are actually created. In the age of AI, factories create jobs. Founders create industries. Industries create generations of jobs. The next competition between Indian states won’t be about who attracts the biggest company. It will be about who creates the most entrepreneurs. Andhra Pradesh may have moved first. Our latest @YourStoryCo on the roadmap beneath the headlines. “The next battle between Indian states won’t be for factories. It’ll be for founders.” yourstory.com/2026/07/andhra…
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Prem Manukonda@PremManukonda·
@naralokesh This is the part most people miss. "A government that's almost invisible" is exactly what founders want and almost never get. Speed and policy stability decide whether someone builds for ten years or gives up in two. Good to see it said this plainly.
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Lokesh Nara
Lokesh Nara@naralokesh·
Thank you, Shraddha. Appreciate you capturing what we’re trying to build in Andhra Pradesh. We understand that entrepreneurs already face enough challenges in building their businesses. The government shouldn’t become one more obstacle. That’s why we work on our 3S philosophy: Speed, Stability and Service. Speed, because government must move at the pace of startups. Stability, because founders need policy certainty to build for the long term. Service, because the best government is one that’s almost invisible - quietly enabling entrepreneurs to focus on creating, innovating and scaling. If we get this right, startups won’t just grow in AP, they’ll help build the future of India. #ChooseSpeedChooseAP
Shradha Sharma@SharmaShradha

Every Indian state is chasing the same headline - A big factory A marquee MOU A stage announcement Andhra Pradesh is playing a different game. Instead of only attracting companies, it’s trying to build founders, treating entrepreneurship as public infrastructure, just like roads or power. Economist Mariana Mazzucato wrote about the “Entrepreneurial State.” Andhra Pradesh, under @naralokesh, is taking that idea one step further. Here’s what’s different: -AI Hub in Visakhapatnam -Quantum Valley in Amaravati with IBM & TCS building India’s largest quantum computer -Ratan Tata Innovation Hub -Target of 20,000 startups -Co-working hubs across all 26 districts Not one startup city. An entire startup state. And the focus isn’t on signing MOUs As @naralokesh has repeatedly said, success is measured only when investments materialise and jobs are actually created. In the age of AI, factories create jobs. Founders create industries. Industries create generations of jobs. The next competition between Indian states won’t be about who attracts the biggest company. It will be about who creates the most entrepreneurs. Andhra Pradesh may have moved first. Our latest @YourStoryCo on the roadmap beneath the headlines. “The next battle between Indian states won’t be for factories. It’ll be for founders.” yourstory.com/2026/07/andhra…

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Prem Manukonda@PremManukonda·
This, from the Chairman of CII-AP, captures it: entrepreneurs are the foundation, not just investment. Andhra is building exactly that. Kudos @naralokesh, and to @shradha_sharma for telling the story so well.
Murali Gannamani@GannamaniMurali

Excellent perspective, Shraddha. Building entrepreneurs, not just attracting investments, is the foundation of sustainable economic growth. Kudos to @naralokesh for his energy and execution, and to Hon’ble CM Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu for providing the visionary leadership that is positioning Andhra Pradesh as India’s next innovation and entrepreneurship powerhouse

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@sathyapramod9 @SharmaShradha @OrchardlyApp @AdithCharlie @YourStoryCo @OmarAbdullah @BharatProjectCo @adithcharlie