Not all founders are the same. Especially in deep-tech, different types of founders play different roles in how industries emerge and mature. Understanding these archetypes helps us see how entirely new sectors are born.
The Three Founder Archetypes
1. Visionary-Pioneer
- Traits: Passionate, ambitious, believer.
- Role: Proves the idea can work, pushes technical and product boundaries.
- Example: Tarun Mehta of Ather in India’s EV two-wheeler market.
2. Aggressive-Executor
- Traits: Scale-focused, resourceful, opportunistic.
- Role: Takes the pioneer’s proof, drives adoption, builds market awareness.
- Example: Ola Electric under Bhavish Aggarwal.
3. Incumbent-Optimizer
- Traits: Operational excellence, brand trust, distribution muscle.
- Role: Enters once the path is clearer, brings scale efficiency and mass reliability.
- Example: Bajaj, TVS.
The Pattern of Industry Evolution
Industries often evolve in this sequence:
Pioneer → Executor → Incumbent
- The pioneer creates belief.
- The executor expands reach.
- The incumbent cements maturity.
Each stage pressures the other, raising the bar until the sector reaches state-of-the-art (SOTA).
Why This Matters for Deep-Tech
Deep-tech sectors don’t emerge from incumbents. They are almost always born from pioneering founders who are willing to take bets before profitability or market certainty exists.
That’s why we must find, fund, and nurture visionaries early, often at the university R&D stage where exploration matters more than returns. Once they prove the frontier, executors and incumbents naturally follow to scale and optimize.
Other observations
IIT Madras is currently nurturing Visionary-Pioneers in the sector of Semiconductors in India.
IISc Bangalore is another one nurturing the quantum and other deep tech talent.
Space tech startups are using the foundation laid by ISRO over the last 60 years.
Defense Tech is growing and still has a long way to go. Establishing SOTA labs in Indian colleges will take India a long way in the long term.
I don't have much understanding of Biotech sector. I will build some understanding of it and add here later on.
What we need is a system that identifies and supports such founders early through university R&D programs, patient capital, and deep-tech incubators so they can lay the foundation. Once pioneers establish credibility, executors and incumbents will follow, accelerating national capability and global competitiveness.
This is a very early attempt of creating a framework around this line of thought. I will keep updating this post.
I will not be surprised if someone has already created frameworks around this. The goal here is to just write down some random thoughts to bring more clarity.
Please feel free to comment your thoughts on this.
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