Is ERPNext the ERP Modern Businesses Have Been Waiting For? Stackerbee Technologies Explains the Shift

For decades, large ERP systems like SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics have dominated enterprise operations. They promised structure, control, and scalability. And for a long time, they delivered—at least for large enterprises with deep pockets.This blog explores how Gopalakrishnan is stepping into the innovation void left by academia and government, using his resources, vision, and influence to power India’s future in science, technology, and entrepreneurship.

The Innovation Void in India: A Legacy of Limits

Despite being home to some of the world’s top scientific minds and producing millions of STEM graduates each year, India’s innovation output—measured in terms of Nobel prizes, patents, deep tech startups, and globally recognized scientific breakthroughs—remains disproportionately low.

This is largely because:

• Academia is underfunded and risk-averse.
• Government innovation initiatives are slow, bureaucratic, and fragmented.
• There’s a lack of cross-pollination between science, industry, and policy.

India’s best ideas often die in the pipeline due to the absence of sustained funding, mentorship, and strategic vision. This is where private individuals with both capital and clarity can make a difference—and Kris Gopalakrishnan is doing exactly that.

From Tech Titan to Innovation Catalyst

As Co-founder of Infosys, Gopalakrishnan helped shape one of the most successful IT services companies in the world. But his second act is proving equally impactful.

Since stepping down from Infosys, he has emerged as a rare figure in India’s innovation ecosystem—a private individual who is not just funding startups, but building scientific institutions, enabling deep research, and shaping technology policy at the highest levels.

Here’s how.

Fueling Brain Science: A Private Gift for Public Good

One of Gopalakrishnan’s most remarkable contributions is the Gopalakrishnan – Deshpande Centre for Brain Research (C-BRaIN) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. Launched with a personal donation of ₹450 crore, it is one of the largest philanthropic investments in scientific research in India.

The center focuses on:

• Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative disease
• Brain computing interfaces
• Neuroscience-led AI

Mental health in ageing populations

Where academic funding often ignores long-term, high-risk projects, C-BRaIN is designed to support blue-sky research with real-world relevance. It’s Gopalakrishnan’s way of saying: “Let Indian brains study the brain—and let’s do it with world-class resources.”

Creating Startup Pipelines: The Axilor Ventures Model

To ensure science leads to solutions, Gopalakrishnan co-founded Axilor Ventures, a startup accelerator and early-stage fund that backs deep tech and digital innovation in India.

Axilor focuses on:

• Healthcare and medtech
• SaaS and enterprise tech
• AI/ML and analytics

Financial inclusion

Axilor doesn’t just invest—it nurtures innovation through mentorship, product-market fit strategies, and industry access. While academia produces ideas, and government sets policies, Gopalakrishnan’s model helps commercialize innovation into scalable impact.

Knowledge Stewardship: itihaasa and Tech Heritage

Innovation requires inspiration—and Gopalakrishnan believes in preserving India’s tech legacy to guide future generations.

With itihaasa, a digital archive of India’s IT journey, he ensures that the stories, struggles, and strategies of India's early IT leaders are recorded and remembered. This is more than history—it’s knowledge capital for the next wave of entrepreneurs, students, and policy-makers.

Influencing Policy at the Highest Levels

Kris Gopalakrishnan is not just a funder; he’s a strategic voice in India’s technology policy.

He holds roles in:

• PM-STIAC (Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council)
• Department of Science and Technology advisory committees
• AI and cybersecurity task forces

He is a vocal advocate for:

• National AI strategies
• Cyber-physical systems
• Data governance frameworks
• Public-private research collaboration

Unlike academic experts or bureaucrats limited by institutional inertia, Gopalakrishnan can push for bold reforms—and fund pilots to show how they work.

Bridging the India Gap in Innovation Funding

India spends just 0.7% of its GDP on R&D, compared to 2–4% in countries like the US, China, and Israel. Of this, only 37% comes from private industry. Kris Gopalakrishnan is challenging this model by using his wealth and networks to de-risk innovation.

Where government budgets fall short, and academia is too underfunded to experiment, private capital can:

• Take early bets
• Create research infrastructure
• Attract global partnerships
• Enable translational science

He’s proving that private innovation is not a luxury—it’s a necessity.

Real Impact: What’s Changed Because of Him

• India’s neuroscience capabilities are being built at scale.
• Dozens of early-stage startups now have funding and mentorship.
• India’s AI and data policy is being shaped with practical insights.
• A new culture of scientific philanthropy is emerging, inspiring other entrepreneurs to contribute to research and education.

He is not just enabling innovation—he’s institutionalizing it.

FAQs: Gopalakrishnan’s Innovation Vision Explained

Q: Why does private innovation matter when we have IITs and CSIR labs?

A: Private capital is flexible, faster, and mission-driven. It complements public institutions by funding what they can’t—bold, long-term research and productization.

Q: Is this model scalable beyond one individual?

A: Yes, Gopalakrishnan is showing a replicable blueprint. If more founders follow suit, India can create a powerful coalition of public science and private vision.

Q: Does this shift innovation power to the wealthy?

A: Not necessarily. Transparent governance, academic partnerships, and outcome-focused models ensure public good remains central.

The Future: What Comes Next?

Kris Gopalakrishnan is now exploring:

• AI-led diagnosis and mental health interventions
• Research-commercialization bridges via industry-academia partnerships
• Capacity building for India’s next 1,000 science entrepreneurs

His goal? Make India not just a consumer of global tech but a producer of global breakthroughs.

Conclusion: A Visionary Filling the Innovation Vacuum

Academia has ideas. Government has plans. But Kris Gopalakrishnan is putting fuel in the innovation engine.

He represents a new kind of Indian leader—one who builds startups, funds science, influences policy, and leaves institutions in his wake. In a world that rewards quick exits and unicorn status, he is playing the long game.

If India achieves its dream of becoming a global science and tech superpower, history will show that it wasn’t just built in the halls of IITs or government think tanks. It was also sparked in the vision and vaults of private leaders like Kris Gopalakrishnan.