This IIT Madras student's AI venture earned recognition on 3 US government platforms

An AI innovation developed by an IIT Madras student has reached three US government technology platforms. Krishna Garigipati's CogniMesh has earned 'Awardable' recognition, including on the DARPA ERIS Marketplace, marking a milestone in his journey as a young entrepreneur.Meet Krishna Garigipati, IIT Madras student behind AI venture recognised on 3 US platforms (Image: LinkedIn/@Krishna Garigipati)New Delhi,Nov 11, 2026 07:30 ISTFrom IIT Madras to the world of AI innovation, Krishna Garigipati is turning research ideas into technologies with real-world applications. His AI technology, CogniMesh, developed through his venture Project Genesis AI Labs Private Limited in collaboration with US-based Robotic Technology Inc., has earned recognition across three US government technology platforms, including DARPA ERIS.Currently pursuing a BS degree at IIT Madras, Krishna is combining his academic journey with entrepreneurial ambitions to push the boundaries of AI research and turn ambitious ideas into practical technologies. This achievement marks a significant milestone in that journey.WHAT MAKES COGNIMESH’S RECOGNITION SIGNIFICANT?CogniMesh has earned “Awardable” recognition across three platforms: the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, associated with the US Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO); the US Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) DevX Autonomy platform; and the DARPA ERIS Marketplace, associated with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.The latest recognition from DARPA ERIS followed a competitive technical assessment, making CogniMesh available to authorised US government customers for potential engagement and technology acquisition. This could open avenues for collaboration with US government stakeholders, although Awardable status does not guarantee a government contract or procurement. BEYOND AI MODELS: BUILDING AN AUTONOMOUS RESEARCH ENGINEKrishna is the founder and head of research and development at Project Genesis, an initiative focused on developing AI systems that can explore problems, generate novel frameworks and translate research into practical solutions.At its core is an AI research and engineering engine designed to explore research problems, develop architectures, build implementations, evaluate outcomes and improve technologies iteratively. This approach places AI within the research and development process itself, with the potential to accelerate complex technology development. Its work spans autonomous AI algorithm generation, cognitive architectures for reasoning and memory, quantum computing frameworks and AI-driven drug discovery. Key projects include ReCALL, GLM-X, Q-SHARE and GraphMind.His broader vision is to position AI as a scientific collaborator capable of contributing to research and discovery, rather than merely executing predefined tasks.Project Genesis received the Best Startup Award at the AI Fusion Summit, while his research has been accepted to the AAAI 2026 EGSAI Community Track and Optica Quantum 2.0 2026.HOW DID IIT MADRAS INSPIRE HIS ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY?Krishna is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Applications at IIT Madras. He credits the programme’s Python course with helping him rediscover his interest in programming and showing him new ways to use coding to build and experiment with ideas.He also draws inspiration from IIT Madras Director Professor V Kamakoti’s talk on entrepreneurship at Paradox 2025, which encouraged him to continue developing Project Genesis alongside his academic journey.Krishna said seeing CogniMesh progress through three US government Awardable pathways, including DARPA ERIS, made the journey particularly meaningful. He also expressed gratitude to the IIT Madras BS Degree Programme for being part of his development as a researcher and entrepreneur.Alongside his IIT Madras degree, Krishna is pursuing a BTech in Artificial Intelligence at Aditya University. He founded Project Genesis in December 2024 and has since led its research, technology development and product strategy.A STUDENT’S AMBITION WITH GLOBAL REACHKrishna’s journey illustrates how academic learning, independent research and entrepreneurial initiative can come together to pursue ambitious technological goals.While CogniMesh’s recognition represents an important milestone, its long-term impact will depend on continued development, validation and adoption. His story offers an encouraging message to aspiring innovators: ideas nurtured during student life can extend beyond the classroom through curiosity, persistence and a commitment to building solutions.- Ends