Emergent Ventures India, 18th cohort

Emergent Ventures India announced its 18th cohort of grants, awarding funding to 16 individuals and teams including 14-year-old Adithyan Madhu for computational linguistics research on the Indus Valley script, 17-year-old Aparajeet Shadangi for cosmology, and student developer Kevin Gibson for Crsynk OS, a Python-based operating system with an AI assistant. The cohort also includes projects on fire-resistant plants, cybersecurity, heritage tours, exoplanet discovery, and NeuroBridge, an AI-powered eye-tracking communication device for ALS patients.

Emergent Ventures India, 18th cohort Adithyan Madhu https://independent.academia.edu/AdithyanMadhu1 , 14, an independent researcher, received his grant to study early writing systems, applying computational linguistics, pattern analysis, and structural methods to the Indus Valley script. Aparajeet Shadangi https://www.linkedin.com/in/aparajeet-shadangi-9113b8342/ , 17, received his grant to explore conceptual approaches to cosmic expansion and dark energy while continuing his formal academic preparation in cosmology. Kevin Gibson, https://kevingibson.in/ a student developer, received his grant for Crsynk OS, a Python-based operating system integrated with an AI assistant and focused on lightweight user interfaces and accessible computing. He is also developing WiseChat AI and an AI Voice Engine. Vaishnavi Dilip, 13, received her grant to identify fire-resistant plants native to Indian ecosystems and plant them strategically as natural firebreaks in fire-prone areas. Prince T. Philip https://in.linkedin.com/in/princetphilip , an independent cybersecurity researcher and product architect focused on high-impact, future-facing risks in modern software systems, received his grant to build a security audit tool that surfaces vulnerabilities and design assumptions missed by traditional scanners. Michaela Cross https://www.instagram.com/rosechasm/?hl=en , a writer and content creator, received her grant for Rose Chasm, a video project on the history of India and its relationship to America and the wider world. Vivekanand Bhat https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekanandrbhat?originalSubdomain=in and Rijesh Panicker https://www.pathikatech.in/ received their grant for Pathika https://www.pathikatech.in/ , to create immersive, augmented, multilingual onsite guided tours for heritage monuments across India. Devanarayan https://devanarayan.xyz , 15, received his grant for Open Horizon Observatory, a small open-access observing setup that produces and freely shares real astronomical data. He is developing low-cost workflows for time-series photometry and open data sharing for students and the public. Roshan Kumar Gupta https://www.linkedin.com/in/roshankumargupta-0xc0de/ , 19, a computer science undergraduate, received his grant for TARS, a deterministic, physics-aware machine-learning pipeline for exoplanet discovery using TESS data. He aims to reduce false positives and identify physically credible habitable-world candidates in noisy observations. Yajan Adhikari https://x.com/yajan0 , 19, a materials researcher, received his grant to build an operating system for digitizing and scaling the management of recyclable materials. Pranet Khetan https://www.linkedin.com/in/pranet-khetan-b2b107382 , 17, received his grant to develop a novel, low-cost architecture for refreshable tactile graphics supporting STEM education for visually impaired students. Karthik https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjskarthik/ , 18, a space engineer, received his grant to research the use of remote sensing in agricultural insurance. Alexander Hogeveen Rutter https://energywithalex.wordpress.com/ , an energy expert, received his grant for analysis and advocacy of least-cost resource adequacy planning and other market-based measures in India’s power sector. Akshit Arora https://akshitep.github.io/portfolio-website/ , an Engineering Physics student at IIT Delhi, and Bhavey Sehgal https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhavey-sehgal-31a0802b4/ , a BITS Pilani student, received their grant for NeuroBridge https://neurobridge-website.vercel.app/ . It uses eye tracking, computer vision, and AI to predict intent, giving people with ALS fast, confirmation-based speech instead of slow letter-by-letter eye typing, at a fraction of existing device costs. Cartoonist Sumit Kumar https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumitdrew?originalSubdomain=in and Vivekananda Roy Ghatak https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekanandar?originalSubdomain=in received their grant to advance their animated series Aaapki Poojita and produce short, animated sketches and redesign and relaunch the famous Bakarmax http://www.bakarmax.com webtoon platform. Progyan Das, 24, received his grant to develop fault-tolerant systems capable of using consumer devices for large-scale foundation model training. Yash Chitte, an MBA student, received his grant to build a wall-climbing robot that autonomously cleans glass facades. Khushi Jain https://www.linkedin.com/in/khushi-jain1972/ , 23, an aerospace engineer, received her grant for NadirX Space https://nadirx.in/ , to build space-grade test infrastructure and hardware-in-the-loop systems that enable reliable testing of advanced space technologies and support future interplanetary missions. Rishit Kapoor https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishit-kapoor-269187178/ , an AI/ML researcher and engineer, received his grant for Periscopic Labs https://periscopic-labs.rishitkapoor-work.workers.dev/ , which turns systematic reviews into living, AI-native infrastructure that keeps scientific claims traceable, verifiable, and continuously updated. Koushik Das https://www.linkedin.com/in/koushik-das-tech received his grant to build an explainable clinical decision-support system that helps primary-care doctors interpret complete blood count reports and detect anemia patterns more quickly and safely. Shashank Sanjay https://www.linkedin.com/in/shashank-sanjay-06852827b , a medical student, received his grant to develop an affordable coronary stent. Abrar Shahid https://www.linkedin.com/in/maybeabrar/ , a systems designer using AI to reduce accessibility gaps, received his grant for Project Lumen AI https://www.linkedin.com/company/project-lumen-ai/ , to build an AI translation layer connecting external eye photographs with retinal fundus scans and make eye-disease diagnosis easier. Those unfamiliar with Emergent Ventures can learn more here https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2018/09/emergent-ventures-new-project-help-foment-enlightenment.html and here https://www.mercatus.org/emergent-ventures . The EV India announcement is here https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2020/04/emergent-ventures-india.html . More about the winners of EV India second https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2020/07/emergent-ventures-india-second-cohort-of-winners.html , third https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2021/09/emergent-ventures-india-new-winners-third-indian-cohort.html , fourth https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2022/08/emergent-ventures-india-fourth-cohort.html , fifth https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2023/08/emergent-ventures-india-cohort-five.html , sixth https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2024/07/emergent-ventures-india-sixth-cohort.html , seventh https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2024/08/emergent-ventures-india-seventh-cohort.html , eighth https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2024/08/emergent-ventures-india-eighth-cohort.html , ninth https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2025/05/emergent-ventures-9th-india-cohort.html , tenth https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2025/05/emergent-ventures-india-10th-cohort.html , eleventh https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2025/10/emergent-ventures-india-11th-cohort.html , twelfth https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2025/11/emergent-ventures-india-12th-cohort.html , thirteenth https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2025/11/emergent-ventures-india-13th-cohort.html , fourteenth https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2025/12/emergent-ventures-india-14th-cohort.html , and fifteenth https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2025/12/emergent-ventures-india-15th-cohort.html , sixteenth https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2026/04/emergent-ventures-india-16th-cohort.html , and seventeenth https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2026/07/emergent-ventures-india-17th-cohort.html cohorts. To apply for EV India, use the EV application https://www.mercatus.org/emergent-ventures , click the “Apply Now” button and select India from the “My Project Will Affect” drop-down menu. And here is Nabeel’s AI engine https://www.evwinners.org/ for other EV winners. Here are the other EV cohorts https://marginalrevolution.com/?s=cohort . If you are interested in supporting the India tranche of Emergent Ventures, please write to me or to Shruti https://shrutiraj.com/ at email protected /cdn-cgi/l/email-protection addedfccc7cccac2ddccc1ccc3edc0c8dfceccd9d8de83cac0d883c8c9d8 .