Meenakshi Vashisht is a serial entrepreneur, currently leading grid automation start-up TekUncorked. An engineer by education, she started her career in space research at the Indian Space Research Organisation, working on the inertial systems which went on board the polar satellite launch vehicle. This was followed by various technology leadership roles for work such as architecting and developing high speed telecom network equipment, and leading integrated circuit design programmes for automotive, cellular and networking use cases across various international organisations.
In 2010, Vashisht took a break from her corporate career to travel extensively across India. Over the course of nearly a year, she covered around 20,000 km, journeying through rural, suburban and urban regions. During this time, she engaged with a diverse range of individuals – including change-makers, academics and grassroots entrepreneurs – gaining valuable insights into various facets of the country.
Vashisht says, “We are building TekUncorked to transform the electricity distribution grids to be intelligent, flexible and predictive – reducing energy not served, cutting emissions from existing infrastructure and preparing the grid for a resilient, net zero energy future”.
According to her, start-ups in the grid automation space are nearly non-existent, so making a mark in the space was challenging. However, certain private utilities stepping up to experiment with these innovations was a great motivator. The significance of the impact that TekUncorked is driving in the grid has made the journey quite exciting so far.
Vashisht’s most memorable assignments include leading a global function in a large semiconductor organisation and driving teams across multiple countries to deliver systems-on-chips for new product introductions in the cellular and automotive domains.
She describes her management style as focused and sharp. Speaking about work-life balance, she says, “I love what I do, so work really does not look like something which needs balance. However, I do need to withdraw and refocus – which means taking a break every six months to head to a destination surrounded by nature with preferably no network.”
Vashisht’s personal goals include travelling and reading. Her favourite books include The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, Straight from the Gut by Jack Welch and City of Djinns by William Dalrymple.
