From sewer to space: Keralam startups take on India's toughest tech challenges

From cleaning sewers to building technology for space, three Keralam startups are tackling problems across very different sectors. At India Today Conclave South 2026, Genrobotic Innovations co-founder Rashid Karimbanakkal, Embright Infotech founder Sathyanarayanan AR and Silizium Circuits co-founder Rijin John discussed their startup journeys, funding challenges, talent shortages and the push to build globally competitive technology from Keralam. Karimbanakkal said Genrobotics has deployed more than 400 Bandicoot robots across India to reduce human intervention in sewage cleaning, while expanding into healthcare, defence and space. “Very soon we can see our robotic arm also, which has been integrated with the spaceship that is going to Mars,” he said. Sathyanarayanan spoke about using immersive technology and AI for behavioural training, while John discussed indigenous semiconductor IP for 4G, 5G and 6G technologies.