In this episode of SparX, we speak with Neelkanth Mishra one of the leading voices of India Semiconductor Mission. He talks about India’s semiconductor journey from the origins of the Semiconductor Mission to the realities of execution and global competition.He breakdown how the semiconductor ecosystem works, why entry barriers are so high, and what India’s roadmap looks like today. The conversation also explores Micron’s entry into India, early implementation learnings, India’s geopolitical advantage, and the question of whether the country can truly challenge global leaders like NVIDIA.If you’re looking for a clear, grounded understanding of India’s semiconductor ambitions beyond the headlines, this SparX conversation offers context, realism, and long-term perspective.0:00 – 1:42 Introduction1:43 – 3:34 Neelkanth's journey in Semiconductors 3:35 – 11:46 India's Semiconductor Mission11:47 – 14:44 Semiconductor Manufacturing Process14:45 – 17:44 Objective of Semiconductor Mission17:45 – 18:50 Early days of Semiconductor Mission implementation18:51 – 21:08 Entry of Micron in India21:09 – 26:30 Early Implementation Challenges26:31 – 30:34 First Implementation Results30:35 – 32:28 Current State Global Semiconductor Industry32:29 – 35:41 India's Semiconductor Roadmap35:42 – 37:41 Entry Barriers in Semiconductor Industry37:42 – 41:09 India's Geopolitical Advantage41:10 – 44:10 India's Emerging Companies44:11 – 47:50 Can India Challenge NVIDIA?47:51 – 51:56 Why India Can't Be Aatmanirbhar51:57– 52:46 Outro

In this episode of SparX, Mukesh Bansal speaks with Emad Mostaque about the rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence and how it could fundamentally reshape work, daily life, and global power over the next decade.Emad breaks down why AI is advancing faster than any previous technology, the role of data, scale, and open-source systems in driving this shift, and what it means for jobs, companies, and countries racing to stay relevant. From the rise of AI-first organizations to how life may look by 2030, this conversation offers a clear, unsentimental view of the future that’s already unfolding.

0:00 – 2:31 Introduction

2:32 – 7:34 Rapid Growth of AI

7:35 – 13:38 China’s Rise as an AI leader

13:39 – 19:47 Scaling AI Models Using Meta Verifiers

19:48 – 30:42 Future of AI in Everyday Life and Jobs

30:43 – 39:39 How Companies Should Approach AI and Technology Shifts

39:40 – 46:12 What Emad’s New Company Is Trying to Build

46:13 – 53:54 Who Is Driving the Future of AI

53:55 – 59:49 What India Needs to Get Right in AI field

59:50 – 01:01:07 Outro

In this episode of SparX, Mukeshl sits down with, Debjani Ghosh, leader of the Frontier Tech Hub within NITI Aayog for a critical discussion. They dive deep into India's technological future, the existential role of AI in national growth, and the dramatic changes impacting careers and geopolitics.

Debjani, who brings a unique perspective from 21 years at Intel and leadership at NASSCOM, discusses her experience driving change from within the government and why technology is now the "axis of power" globally.

In this episode of SparX, Mukesh Bansal sits down with economist and policy thinker Neelkanth Mishra to unpack why he believes this is the true golden age of Indian entrepreneurship.

They talk about:

• Falling cost of capital and a stronger banking system expanding access to debt and equity.

• Massive domestic flows via SIPs, EPFO, and insurance fueling startups and exits.

• Policy shifts in GST, decriminalization, and state reforms that slowly ease doing business.

• The next wave beyond internet startups: fintech, precision manufacturing, hardware, semiconductors, and data centers.

• The next wave of entrepreneurship beyond internet companies: fintech, precision manufacturing, hardware, semiconductors, data centers, and chip design.

• Aadhaar’s evolution into a trust and KYC layer, and how lower unit costs in finance, education, and health can break vicious economic cycles.

• Navigating big tech power, US–China tensions, and political noise while staying focused on India’s long runway from $4T to $20T GDP.

If you’re interested in where India’s economy is really headed, how policy and infrastructure shape founder opportunities, or what it takes to build in the middle of geopolitical churn, this conversation with Neelkanth offers rare clarity, realism, and optimism.

In this episode of SparX, Mukesh Bansal sits down with Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder of Info Edge (Naukri.com), the man who quietly built the foundation of India’s internet economy.

From bootstrapping Naukri for 10 years without a salary to backing iconic startups like Zomato and Policybazaar, Sanjeev’s story is a masterclass in patience, conviction, and timing. He reflects on his early dreams of entrepreneurship in the 1970s, quitting his stable job in the 80s for independence, surviving the dot-com bubble, and helping shape India’s startup ecosystem.

They talk about:

• How Naukri was born before the internet arrived in India.

• The 7 years Sanjeev lived without a salary and how he made it work.

• Missing early investments in Flipkart, Ola, and Lenskart and what he learned.

• The mental models around luck, timing, and persistence.

• Why India still hasn’t built trillion-dollar tech companies and how that could change.

• His hopes for India’s next wave of startups in AI, deep tech, and IP creation.
  

Sanjeev also opens up about his personal evolution from a restless 25-year-old marketer selling Horlicks to one of India’s most respected entrepreneurs and investors.

If you want to understand the real DNA of Indian entrepreneurship, this conversation is a rare glimpse into the mind of the man who started it all.

Chapters:

00:00 – 01:18 Introduction

01:19 – 03:38 Missing Flipkart, Myntra & Ola

03:39 – 10:10 The JRD Tata Moment

10:11 – 17:36 Early Career & Struggles

17:37 – 24:08 First Startup Experiments

24:09 – 30:09 How Naukri Was Born

30:10 – 41:44 Dotcom boom & crazy valuations

41:45 – 44:14 The Role of Luck

44:15 – 51:27 Betting Early on India’s Unicorns

51:28 – 54:09 What He Seeks in Founders

54:10 – 1:03:03 Can India Build Trillion-Dollar Tech Giants?

1:03:04 – 1:10:22 Career Advice from Sanjeev

In this episode of SparX, Mukesh Bansal sits down with Peeyush Bansal, Co-founder and CEO of Lenskart. They dive into Peeyush’s journey from building early ventures to creating one of India’s most impactful consumer brands. How his mission to solve India’s vision crisis became a movement to make eyewear accessible for all.

They talk about:

Why India remains the blind capital of the world.

The untapped opportunity in the eye correction market.

Crises and hard choices that shaped Lenskart’s growth.

Why putting the customer first isn’t a strategy, but a survival skill.

How to build with purpose in a market that often overlooks real needs.

The challenge of scaling offline retail.

If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, purpose-driven business, or building in India’s next wave of consumer health innovation this conversation offers clarity, in every sense.

In this episode of SparX, Mukesh Bansal talks with Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology and former Director of IIT Kanpur. They break down how India can build core technology at home, move research from labs to real products, and grow deep tech in AI, quantum, space, biotech, energy and medical tech.

They speak about:

How capital will be deployed through trusted second-level fund managers like AIFs, DFIs, TDB, BIRAC and IIT research parks

Priority areas, from energy transition to biotech, quantum, robotics, space and defence tech

The path from basic research to product, including the TRL 4 to 6 valley of death

India’s AI plan, including language models, curated datasets and GPU infrastructure

The national quantum mission across computing, communication, sensing and materials

If you are building deep tech in India or tracking where the next breakthroughs may come from, this conversation is a must-watch.