Every deep-tech venture begins with a question most people overlook. For Nachiket Kulkarni, it was simple: why does the digital world still struggle to understand the physics of the real one?
Fashion e-commerce reveals this gap clearly. It leads all e-commerce categories with return rates reaching 30–40%, driven primarily by sizing inconsistencies, with 56% of online shoppers citing inconsistent sizing as the primary reason for returns. Globally, consumers returned products worth $890 billion in 2024, a problem that is fundamentally technological, not logistical.
Where others saw a retail challenge, Nachiket Kulkarni, a robotics engineer working in AI since 2008, saw a physics problem waiting to be solved. In 2021, he founded inGnious AI as a pure-play AI R&D company to model how physical objects interact with the human body in digital environments. This wasn’t a pivot into fashion technology but a deliberate entry into one of deep tech’s underserved frontiers, a sector projected to grow from $150 billion in 2025 to $476 billion by 2035, driven by AI.
In recognition of their innovation and leadership, Nachiket Kulkarni and Varun Singh have been recognised among the 40 Under 40 – India Leaders 2026.
“Most companies approached the problem as a visual experience,” Nachiket says. “But the real challenge is fit uncertainty. When shoppers aren’t sure how something will fit, confidence drops, conversions suffer, and returns rise. Our goal is to remove that uncertainty so people can shop with confidence.”
His team’s answer is a proprietary Neural Physics AI engine, built entirely in-house, that simulates garment fit thousands of times faster than conventional physics engines. Protected by patents in both the United States and India, the platform extends beyond fashion and can scale into gaming, VFX, sports, fitness, and defence simulation.
To translate this R&D into a global commercial standard, Nachiket partnered with Varun Singh, a resilient entrepreneur and growth strategist with nearly two decades of experience across technology, digital, e-commerce, and consumer markets, who now leads the firm’s international expansion.
“At inGnious, we have successfully solved one of the biggest challenges in fashion e-commerce. ‘Fit’ will no longer be the reason for returns,” says Varun. “Unlike most enterprise AI companies that simply sell software, we license a complete technology asset—patents, neural networks, and proprietary infrastructure—allowing partners to innovate faster and scale their businesses.”
As industries move toward immersive digital experiences, Nachiket Kulkarni and Varun Singh are building the intelligence layer that helps the digital world finally understand the physical one.
We are accelerating our APAC growth and will establish our regional headquarters in Singapore to capitalise on its world-class talent pool, connectivity, and pro-innovation ecosystem. This hub will enable faster market entry across Southeast Asia and stronger partnerships with global retailers, brands, and investors.
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