Enterprise procurement could become the biggest bottleneck for India's deeptech startups

In an Express Computer guest blog, SanchiConnect founder and CEO Dr. Sunil Shekhawat argues that enterprise procurement, not capital, could become the biggest bottleneck for India's deeptech startups. He notes Indian deeptech companies raised about $2.9 billion across 189 PE-VC deals in 2025, with the sector's share of PE-VC activity rising from around 4% in 2016 to 15% in 2025, alongside policy support such as the extended 20-year startup recognition window, a Rs 300 crore turnover ceiling and the Rs 1 lakh crore RDI Fund. His argument: enterprise source-to-pay processes are built to reduce risk, so young companies with validated technology but limited deployment history struggle with conventional vendor checklists on prior experience, turnover and financial capacity. He credits GeM Startup Runway, which exempts eligible DPIIT-recognised startups from prior-experience, prior-turnover and earnest-money requirements in some public procurement, but says listing on a platform does not solve technical validation, integration or buyer hesitation. With NITI Aayog describing TRL 4 to 6 as deeptech's "Valley of Death", he recommends paid proofs-of-concept, controlled innovation sandboxes, milestone-based pilots and co-development with clear IP boundaries as the bridge from procurement access to adoption. This is a guest opinion piece, not a policy announcement.

DTT summary based on Express Computer's report. The full article is on the publisher's site.