Quicklend

In October, deeptech showed up in places that rarely share a newsletter. Small AI models learned to run offline on satellites and wearables, drone swarms moved into defence trials, grid-scale batteries cleared state auctions, and optical interconnects found their way into India’s semiconductor plans. Our portfolio touched almost every one of those threads, and here’s what October looked like at our fund: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 @shephertz unveiled three AI model families, Tatva, Sanjaya and Drashta. They are part of its AgentAnywhere sovereign AI platform and run fully offline on constrained hardware, from satellites to smart rings. Its trust toolchain is being released under Apache 2.0 for open verification. @LS_Photonics has identified partners for a photonics-packaging pilot line in India, with an announcement expected soon. The company builds optical connections for AI and high-performance computing data centres. @peelon_co extended its compostable packaging platform into bread and bakery, its first move beyond fresh produce into everyday food packaging. It is now inviting bakeries, manufacturers and retailers to run application trials. @quicklendhq went from one lender to three, adding DSP Finance and Shriram Credit. Borrowers against mutual funds and securities now get more options to compare and wider eligibility across holdings. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 @ClaroEnergy was among the winners of MSEDCL’s 2,000 MW/4,000 MWh battery energy storage auction, one of Maharashtra’s largest grid-storage tenders. Winning bidders secured capacity at tariffs between ₹2.38 and ₹2.40 lakh/MW/month. ULOOK was one of ten teams selected for Phase II of the Indian Air Force’s Mehar Baba Competition. This edition focuses on collaborative drone swarms for airborne surveillance. @BellatrixAero Co-founder and COO Yashas Karanam represented the company at Seva Teerth for an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event was part of an IN-SPACe initiative with India’s private space enterprises. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐰 @PixxelSpace set up Pixxel Federal, a US subsidiary serving American defence and intelligence agencies. Allyson Jenkins, who has led Pixxel’s US government business since January 2025, steps in as its CEO. 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 @PixxelSpace was named to the NextGen Tech 30 2026 in Singapore, which recognises growth-stage companies shaping Asia’s economy. Sunshine by LISSUN was shortlisted among the Top 15 of more than 500 startups at CNBC-TV18 HealthX Elevate 2026, presented by Optum India. Winners will be announced at the Grand Finale in New Delhi on 25 November. Ragini Varma, Chief Business Officer at @fynd_official , was named Intrapreneur of the Year 2026 by Entrepreneur Media India.