SilverX Catalyst | Issue #5 | May 2026

Research Spotlight

From the SilverX Investment Desk

This month's research spans AI infrastructure, deep-tech frameworks, healthcare's next wave, and the long game of GP-LP relationships.

Abishek Balendran

Partner, SilverX Fund

AI Infrastructure

The New AI Arms Race Is Systems Efficiency

AI is no longer a model problem - it is a full-stack systems problem. The bottleneck has shifted from raw compute to coordinated efficiency across infrastructure, models, software, and applications.

Pooja Akkem

Associate, SilverX Fund

Deep-Tech Framework

Rethinking Deep-Tech: Why TRLs Belong in Every Investor's Vocabulary

Technology Readiness Levels - NASA's nine-point scale - are the clearest shared language deep-tech has. Here is why every investor and founder should speak it fluently.

Kaustubh Savant

Senior Associate, SilverX Fund

Healthtech

The Next Wave of Healthtech Unicorns Will Be Bio + Compute Companies

After a decade of SaaS-based healthtech, the highest-conviction VC capital is now flowing to companies fusing wet-lab biology with computational stacks.

Dhiraj Kumar Sinha

Managing Partner, SilverX Fund

Fund Operations

The Real Fundraising Begins After the Capital Call

What enduring GP-LP relationships actually look like after the wire clears - and why re-up rates may be the most honest signal of franchise durability.

Welcome to the Team

New additions to the SilverX Fund family

We are delighted to welcome two new members who bring deep expertise and fresh perspectives to the SilverX Fund team.

Nishaanth Rangan

Analyst

Nishaanth joins SilverX Fund's investment team bringing rigorous financial training - having cleared all three levels of the CFA programme - alongside a strong analytical foundation from Loyola College, Chennai. He focuses on deal evaluation, market research, and portfolio monitoring across our deep-tech investment thesis.

Shrivaren Ranga

AI Engineering Intern

Shrivaren joins as our AI Engineering Intern, bringing a sharp focus on the intersection of machine learning and security. An AIML student at Woxsen University, he has hands-on experience with LLM vulnerability research - including work on OWASP LLM Top 10, prompt injection, and AI red-teaming - and brings that security-first lens to SilverX's AI infrastructure diligence.

Spotlight

Kumod Kumar, Advisor

Kumod Kumar

Advisor, SilverX Fund

CSR

ESG

Academia

Startup Ecosystem

Media

Kumod Kumar is an accomplished Administrator, Consultant, and Media-Marketing professional with over two decades of senior leadership across India's top educational institutions and media houses. He currently serves as Chief Administrative Officer at Chandragupt Institute of Management Patna (CIMP) - a premier Government of Bihar B-School, AICTE-approved and NBA-accredited - and as CEO of CIMP BIIF, the institute's Business Incubation and Innovation Foundation that supports early-stage founders through its B-Hub programme.

As President of TiE Patna and Chair of PHDCCI Bihar, Kumod is one of the most connected figures in Bihar's entrepreneurship and industry ecosystem. His convening power across academia, government, and business has made him a trusted bridge between institutional capital and ground-level innovation in Eastern India.

A practitioner-scholar on CSR, ESG, and Sustainability, Kumod has championed programmes including the CSR Leadership Summit and CIMP's flagship Samarthya initiative on Generative AI - which brought together IAS officers, industry leaders, and faculty to prepare the next generation of managers for an AI-driven economy.

As deep-tech companies scale, the governance frameworks they adopt and the ESG narratives they build increasingly determine access to institutional capital. Kumod's reach across academia, incubation, and responsible business practice is a genuine differentiator for SilverX's portfolio founders navigating these frameworks.

Sponsor Spotlight

Earthvest

Next-Generation Alternative Investment Platform

Real Estate · Technology · Hospitality · Hyderabad

earthvest.in

Earthvest is a next-generation Alternative Investment Platform headquartered in Hyderabad, deploying patient capital across real estate, technology, and hospitality. Operating as a sponsor-led platform, the firm structures and executes investments through disciplined underwriting, aligned co-participation, and long-term capital deployment.

Real Estate & Hospitality

Development-led, income-generating assets in high-growth corridors, integrating capital structuring with design, sustainability, and operational execution.

Technology Vertical

Venture capital platforms investing in startups across AI, deep-tech, and quantum technologies, where Earthvest's mandate aligns closely with SilverX's thesis.

Collaboration Framework

Integrates capital, operators, and domain expertise, enabling Earthvest to originate, execute, and actively steward investments across their full lifecycle.

The Team

Abhilash Gandra

Managing Partner

Technology leader and entrepreneur across SaaS, enterprise systems, and digital transformation.

Aahlaad Reddy

Managing Partner

Management consulting and venture building background, focused on deal structuring and strategic positioning.

Prashanth Bandi

Managing Partner

Specialises in sustainable real estate, AI-driven enterprise ecosystems, and large-scale development.

Nanda Kodimyala

Partner

25+ years across enterprise data systems, machine learning, and AI transformation.

Pratap Gunna

Partner

25+ years building and scaling global businesses, with active investments in ventures, real estate, and construction.

US Roadshow - Second Leg

April 2026 · San Francisco, South Bay & East Bay

The SilverX Fund team wrapped up the California leg of the US Investor Roadshow across three cities in April 2026 - San Francisco (Frontier Tower), Saratoga (South Bay), and Berkeley (East Bay) - connecting with LPs, NRI investors, and deep-tech founders driving cross-border capital between India and the US.

The conversations in California were among the richest of the roadshow. The Bay Area's proximity to both frontier AI infrastructure and deep-tech talent made for unusually high-quality dialogue on where India's opportunity sits in a rapidly shifting global technology landscape. We are grateful to every investor and community member who joined us.

Snapshots from the Road