Dear Reader, IIT Madras is targeting 1,000 startups by 2032, with an ambition to see at least one of them go public every month. Director Prof V Kamakoti said the institute has so far incubated 583 startups with a combined valuation of Rs 83,000 crore, adding around 100 startups each year. Its portfolio includes Ather Energy, Agnikul Cosmos, Uniphore, and Stellapps. At its Sangam 2026 meet in Bengaluru, the focus was also on India’s tech self-reliance, with Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu and Education Minister Pralhad Joshi calling for greater homegrown innovation. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also stressed the need to build capabilities in frontier technologies such as AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing to strengthen India’s technological self-reliance. The push is also being backed by capital. IIT Madras, IIT Madras Research Park, and Unicorn India Ventures have raised Rs 450 crore in the first close of a planned Rs 1,000-crore deeptech fund. The fund has already deployed nearly Rs 55 crore across four startups in areas including space, quantum, batteries and carbon capture. Meanwhile, OpenAI is investigating rogue activity by its AI agents after 53 images from ChatGPT users were accidentally posted to external sites. The company has identified around two dozen undesirable agent incidents so far, highlighting the challenges of monitoring increasingly autonomous AI agents. In a separate disclosure, OpenAI said it alerted dozens of institutions after its AI agents improperly accessed their websites while seeking public information. Some agents attempted to bypass security measures, though OpenAI said the government data accessed was public. In today’s newsletter, we will talk about Building a sustainable accessories brand with plant leather How simulation is preparing vehicles for real-world chaos Here’s your trivia for today: Why do quantum computers need to be colder than outer space? (Scroll down for the answer) Woman Entrepreneur What started as a search for better alternatives to animal leather has grown into a bootstrapped sustainable accessories brand. Gayatri Varun launched Green Hermitage in 2021 after experimenting with plant-based materials such as cactus, apple and banana. Today, the brand is building a Made-in-India supply chain while expanding its presence across Indian and international markets. Key takeaways: Green Hermitage began with Gayatri’s experiments with plant-based leather and has since grown into a range of bags and accessories. The brand sources 95% of its bio-leather from India and works with seven artisans in Delhi. Its products are sold across 15 Indian marketplaces and international markets, with the bootstrapped startup now exploring external funding to scale. Automobile As cars become more connected and software-driven, testing them for India’s unpredictable roads is becoming a challenge of its own. With India proposing V2V and V2X communication standards from 2028, automakers are increasingly turning to simulation to test safety systems before putting them on the road. dSPACE is using virtual environments, AI and real-world hardware testing to recreate everything from erratic traffic to connectivity failures. Key takeaways: Engineers can recreate unpredictable Indian road scenarios—from erratic traffic and sudden lane changes to connectivity disruptions—in virtual environments and test vehicle safety systems without putting people at risk. dSPACE is simulating 4G, 5G and satellite-navigation conditions to see how connected vehicles respond when networks weaken or fail. AI can generate thousands of potential edge cases, helping engineers test increasingly software-defined vehicles at scale. News & updates Meta Connect: Meta’s smart glasses dominated its Connect event, with employees, influencers and demos showcasing the company’s push into AI-powered eyewear. New camera-free glasses will integrate with Meta’s Muse AI assistant, while another version is designed to help people with hearing loss. AI models: Chinese AI models are gaining rapid global adoption, helped by improving performance and lower costs, with their use surging on major developer platforms. The trend is raising concerns in Washington that wider access to Chinese AI could narrow the gap with US models despite chip export controls. Why do quantum computers need to be colder than outer space? Answer: To prevent heat from disrupting fragile quantum states. We would love to hear from you! To let us know what you liked and disliked about our newsletter, please mail nslfeedback@yourstory.com. If you don’t already get this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here. For past editions of the YourStory Buzz, you can check our Daily Capsule page here.