India is the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world, however, 40 percent of the produce goes to waste during transport. “The problem seemed to stem more from infrastructure rather than behaviour,” Deepak Rajmohan points out as he explains the gap driving the R&D at GreenPod Labs.
Flashback to 2009, Deepak was about to join college. He knew he wanted to do something out of the ordinary—ordinary back then was computer science or mechanical engineering. So, when he got an admit to the agricultural engineering course in CEG, Anna University, he grabbed the opportunity. “Neither my parents nor my grandparents were agriculturists,” narrates the entrepreneur, “I had absolutely no background in this field. That’s what made me appreciate the course structure even more!”
During his four-year degree, he developed a passion for the agricultural sciences and left for Oklahoma State University to pursue a master’s degree in the food sciences. His focus narrowed down to food waste and by-products with industrial experience across food segments from wineries and breweries to yogurt.
Although Deepak was a part of the Startup Center in Chennai where he participated in pitchfests and networked with peers, his move to the US gave him opportunities that woul
