26-Year-Old Indian Entrepreneur Solving India's Air Pollution ft. Angad Daryani

Take a Pause with Varun Duggirala

In this episode, I sit down with Angad Daryani, Founder of Praan to dive deep into addressing the issue of air pollution in India and how it affects public health especially children’s development and why existing solutions often fall short.
Angad shares his inspiring journey from dropping out of school to working at MIT Media Lab and founding Praan. We talked about the nitty-gritty of air quality metrics, the challenges of creating sustainable purifiers, and the exciting development of filterless industrial purifiers.
We touched on the role of policy, the potential of nuclear energy, and the urgent need of indoor air quality regulation especially in schools.The conversation also touched upon the broader implications of air pollution, echoing concerns which was also raised by Bryon Johnson, who made headlines after walking out of Nikhil Kamath’s podcast due to poor indoor air quality. This incident serves as a stark reminder of how deeply pollution affects our daily lives, even in high-end urban spaces. It’s an eye - opening conversation packed with innovation and real-world solutions.
Time Stamps -
00:44 Understanding Air Pollution: Components and Misconceptions
02:25 The Growing Problem of Air Pollution in Indian Cities
03:04 Solutions and Personal Actions Against Air Pollution
08:17 The Genesis of Praan: Tackling Air Pollution
13:29 Innovative Approaches: Filterless Air Purification
22:43 Indoor Air Quality: Practical Tips and Misconceptions
27:20 Future Vision: Addressing Air Pollution at Scale
29:39 Proposing Tax Benefits and Indoor Air Quality Regulations
30:16 Challenges of Electric Vehicle Transition in India
30:45 The Case for Nuclear Energy
31:05 Policy Changes and Banning Older Vehicles
31:37 The Importance of Data Transparency
32:42 Health Impacts of Air Pollution on Children
36:46 The Ineffectiveness of Outdoor Air Purifiers
39:15 The Potential of Nuclear Energy Revisited
43:12 Building Trust in Air Purification Technology
47:13 Challenges in Funding Deep Tech Startups
52:51 Staying Focused on the Mission
57:28 Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways