

Bootstrapped Breakthroughs: How Dipak Mahato Took Deep Tech to Market
Join us for an unfiltered conversation with Dipak Mahato—PhD scientist, deep tech founder, and Entrepreneur in Residence at UNC—on what it really takes to turn complex science into real-world innovation.
From building stem-cell therapeutics at Pfizer to launching SeaChange Technologies from scratch, Dipak has lived the full journey: bootstrapping, raising non-dilutive funding, scaling globally, and exiting successfully. His work has spanned everything from sustainable textile pilots in India to water tech for U.S. oil fields—earning recognition from the H&M Foundation and pushing the boundaries of industrial innovation.
In this session, hosted by Stephanie Melodia, Dipak will share:
• How to turn complex science into a scalable startup
• The realities of building and funding hard tech
• Lessons from launching in tough, global markets
• What it means to be resilient when the playbook doesn’t exist
Whether you’re building in deep tech, biotech, or just navigating the messy middle of startup life, this is one conversation you won’t want to miss.