Anand Mahindra can't stop praising two IITian-led 10-gram cooler that broke Western monopoly: 'Deep tech doesn't need deep....'

Completely homegrown. Yet it has overcome the Western dominance in the sphere of cooling technology. An Indian 10-gram cooling technology has broken through a monopoly the US, France & Israel guarded for decades. Taking to X, billionaire Anand Mahindra hailed the innovative project.

Taking to X, the business tycoon praised the accomplishment on X, emphasising the contribution of a small Mumbai-based team, early financial support from the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), and five years of tenacious work to resolve a challenging technological problem.

Mahindra noted that access to significant financing is not the only factor driving deep-tech innovation. He claims that it also calls for investors who are willing to stick with a long-term commitment and patiently and purposefully support ambitious initiatives. "That’s the real lesson in deeptech: it doesn’t only need deep pockets; it needs capital with Purpose & Patience..." he wrote.


He also underlined that India's defence capabilities will require both targeted support for smaller, high-potential inventions and large-scale government investments. He pointed out that the Technology Development Fund (TDF) showed how focused assistance can foster local creativity.

Mahindra also said more such ventures have to be green-lighted and that family offices can play an important role in backing deep-tech ventures.


According to a report by The Hindu, the project is spearheaded by two IIT Bombay graduates.

Dr Pravin Salinkar, a co-owner of Techno Defence Pvt Ltd and an alumnus of IIT Bombay, met a lab director from the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) by coincidence sometime between 2017 and 2018. This encounter marked the beginning of this lean manufacturing success story. As a result, he took on a crucial task in defence production.

Five years later, the defence technology company he co-owns with Sudarshan Saraf, another alumnus of IIT Mumbai, successfully developed the strategic missile-cooling capability known as the "Joule-Thomson (JT) Cooler" with the help of a small team of engineers and technicians, the majority of whom are women. Only a few nations, including the US, France, and Israel, possess IT, which is governed by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).