Prof. Anil
Prabhakar.

1.1 Company Overview

CurioNext Labs Private Limited is an Indian technology company incorporated on 9 May 2025.

The company develops intelligent wearable devices incorporating electronic sensors, embedded systems and artificial intelligence. Its stated areas of development include child safety, well-being and assistive technologies for people with hearing disabilities.

CurioNext identifies IIT Madras Research Park, Chennai, as its development location.

Corporate Particulars

The corporate information is drawn from the supplied MCA-derived records, updated on 19 September 2026.

1.2 Business Activities

CurioNext describes itself as a deep-technology company developing wearable devices that combine sensor inputs with on-device artificial intelligence.

Its publicly identified products are:

The company's technical focus includes low-power processing, sensor integration and AI inference performed directly on wearable devices.

CurioNext states that it is recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), incubated through the IIT Madras Incubation Cell and has two patent applications pending.

These are company-published statements.

Registered Business Activities

The company's statutory classification is information and communication services, with its principal activity recorded as other data processing, hosting and related activities.

Its GST registration separately records Factory / Manufacturing as a nature of business.

The registered goods categories include communication equipment, electrical apparatus and electronic data-storage media.

The registration also covers technical services, telecommunications-related services, equipment leasing, and maintenance and installation services.

These are statutory registration categories and do not independently establish that each activity is commercially operational.

1.3 Directors and Disclosed Shareholding

Registered Directors

Both individuals are recorded as directors in the supplied MCA-derived records. No former directors are identified.

CurioNext's website identifies Sagar Gadhvi as its founder and Prof. Anil Prabhakar as a mentor.

Disclosed Shareholding

The ownership information provided for this report is:

The shareholding percentages have not been independently reconciled against the company's statutory shareholder register.

Prof. Anil Prabhakar is not identified among the company's registered directors in the supplied MCA-derived records.

His disclosed shareholding and published mentorship are separate from statutory directorship.

1.4 Financial and Statutory Information

The turnover figure is a statutory reporting range, not an exact revenue figure.

No balance sheet, profit-and-loss statement or audited financial information was included in the supplied extract.

GST Filing History

The supplied GST filing records identify five instances of delayed return filing.

These are historical filing delays recorded in the supplied statutory records. They do not establish outstanding tax liabilities arising from these instances.

Employees' Provident Fund

CurioNext has an EPFO establishment registration effective 22 October 2025.

The EPFO establishment data identifies seven monthly periods between October 2025 and April 2026 under its transaction-default field.

The consolidated statutory-compliance records separately list no EPF defaults.

Both entries are retained as recorded; the inconsistency between the two sets of records remains unresolved.

1.5 Institutional Affiliations

CurioNext publicly identifies the following affiliations:

These affiliations are presented on CurioNext's website. The precise nature and current status of each arrangement have not been independently established through the respective organisations.

1.6 CurioNext's Vibe Product and Earlier IIT Madras Research

A documented connection exists between the subject matter of CurioNext's Vibe product and an earlier assistive-technology development programme at IIT Madras.

IIT Madras Development: December 2021

On 2 December 2021, IIT Madras announced that its Centre for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology (CREATE) was developing two wearable assistive devices:

• Vibe: A wearable device that detects environmental sounds and alerts deaf or hard-of-hearing users through vibrations and visual indicators.
• iGest: A device intended to help people with motor disabilities communicate through gesture recognition.

IIT Madras identified Prof. Anil Prabhakar as Head of CREATE.

The institute reported that Sony Pictures Networks India supported these projects through its corporate social responsibility programme.

The published description of Vibe included recognition of sounds such as doorbells, alarms and a crying child, with vibration patterns and LED indicators used to notify the wearer.

CurioNext's Vibe Product

CurioNext currently describes Vibe as a smartwatch-form-factor wearable that detects important environmental sounds and alerts deaf and hard-of-hearing users through vibration and visual cues.

The company identifies functions including:

• Recognition of sirens, alarms, vehicle horns and doorbells.
• On-device AI-based sound classification.
• Haptic and visual notifications.
• Operation without continuous cloud processing.
• Development for affordability and accessibility.

An indexed version of CurioNext's Vibe product page explicitly describes the technology as invented at IIT Madras and identifies the product as being developed in partnership with the institute.

Documented Connection

The available records establish Prof. Prabhakar's association with the earlier IIT Madras development programme and CurioNext's subsequent public description of a similarly named product.

The reviewed sources do not establish the detailed intellectual-property ownership, licensing or technology-transfer arrangements between IIT Madras and CurioNext.

2.1 Professional Background

Prof. Anil Prabhakar is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

He joined the IIT Madras faculty in 2002.

His professional work spans:

• Quantum communications.
• Quantum key distribution and cryptography.
• Photonic quantum computing.
• Fibre lasers and optical systems.
• Magnonics and spin-wave technologies.
• Optofluidics.
• Assistive and rehabilitation technologies.

His academic work includes research, teaching, technology development and the commercialisation of research through technology ventures.

IIT Madras identifies quantum communications, photonic quantum computing, magnonics and assistive technologies as his principal research areas.

2.2 Education and Employment

His doctoral research concerned nonlinear spin-wave optical interactions.

Between 1997 and 2002, his industrial work involved the design, characterisation and failure analysis of magnetic recording heads used in hard-disk drives.

The education and employment chronology is recorded in his biography published by Springer in Spin Waves: Problems and Solutions.

2.3 Research and Publications

Prof. Prabhakar's published research includes quantum-secure communications, optical technologies, photonic computing and assistive devices.

His professional biography reports more than 50 research publications and 18 patents or patent applications.

His academic publications include work on quantum key distribution, quantum random-number generation, photonic optimisation, magnetic materials and optical devices.

He is also the co-author, with Daniel D. Stancil, of Spin Waves: Problems and Solutions, published by Springer in 2021.

IIT Madras maintains an institutional profile listing his publications, projects and research outputs.

3.1 Registered Directorships

The supplied MCA-derived director records identify Prof. Prabhakar's Director Identification Number as:

DIN: 05327275

The supplied extract records two ongoing and three former directorships.

Source: Supplied MCA-derived director records, timestamped 7 February 2026.

Nature of the Associated Organisations

Enability Foundation for Rehabilitation

An organisation working in rehabilitation engineering and assistive technologies for persons with disabilities.

The supplied MCA-derived records show Prof. Prabhakar's directorship from April 2015.

Asphear Technologies and Services Private Limited

Asphear develops digital tools for hearing, speech and developmental screening.

Its products are intended for applications in schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centres and community healthcare.

The company identifies Prof. Prabhakar as Director and Advisor on its website.

His appointment as a director is recorded from December 2025 in the supplied MCA-derived records.

Unilumen Photonics Private Limited

A photonics venture associated with fibre-laser technology.

Prof. Prabhakar's professional biography describes Unilumen as an earlier startup subsequently acquired by Jiva Sciences.

His registered directorship ended in April 2019.

Qunu Labs Private Limited

QNu Labs develops quantum-safe cybersecurity technologies, including quantum key distribution and quantum random-number generation.

Prof. Prabhakar is publicly identified as a co-founder and technical adviser.

His registered directorship ended in March 2019. The cessation of directorship does not establish the termination of a separate advisory or ownership interest.

Yali Mobility Private Limited

A venture associated with mobility and assistive devices for people with physical disabilities.

Prof. Prabhakar's registered directorship ended in January 2024, according to the supplied MCA-derived records.

His professional biography continues to describe him as a director. The dated MCA-derived record is used for the directorship timeline in this report.

3.2 Other Commercial Associations

Quanfluence

Prof. Prabhakar is publicly identified as a co-founder of Quanfluence, a company developing photonic and quantum-inspired computing technologies.

Its work includes optical computing systems intended for computational optimisation problems.

Quanfluence is associated with the IIT Madras technology-incubation ecosystem.

Prof. Prabhakar does not appear as a registered director of Quanfluence in the supplied DIN extract.

His co-founder association is recorded in his professional biography and the Quad Investors Network's 2024 report.

IIT Madras–Quanfluence Consultancy Project

IIT Madras's register of ongoing consultancy projects as of 31 March 2025 identifies a specific research relationship between the institute and Quanfluence.

The amount is the sanctioned institutional consultancy value recorded in the IIT Madras register, not an indication of Prof. Prabhakar's personal remuneration.

IIT Madras–QNu Labs Intellectual Property

A published patent record identifies IIT Madras and QNu Labs as joint applicants on a quantum key distribution invention filed in June 2018.

Prof. Prabhakar is among the named inventors.

The patent record identifies the invention as a quantum key distribution system based on a heralded single-photon source and gated detection.

The publicly indexed record reports a grant date of 5 March 2021.

This is a documented historical example of intellectual-property collaboration involving an organisation with which Prof. Prabhakar has a commercial association.

CurioNext Labs Private Limited

CurioNext identifies Prof. Prabhakar as a mentor.

A 5% shareholding has also been disclosed in the information provided for this report.

The precise commencement date and terms of the mentorship and investment have not been established from the available records.

4.1 Technology Advisory Group: Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser

Prof. Prabhakar's professional biography identifies him as a member of the:

Joint Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of the Empowered Technology Group, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

Official government publications refer to the body as the Technology Advisory Group (TAG) of the Empowered Technology Group (ETG).

The government records reviewed do not identify a separate organisation formally titled the Joint Technical Advisory Group.

4.2 Institutional Structure

The Government of India constituted the Empowered Technology Group in February 2020.

The ETG is chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

Its institutional membership includes the heads or senior representatives of:

• Atomic Energy Commission.
• Space Commission.
• Defence Research and Development Organisation.
• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• Department of Telecommunications.
• Department of Science and Technology.

The ETG is supported by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser.

Its stated responsibilities concern national-level technology policy, the procurement and induction of technologies, major research and development programmes, and the formulation of long-term technology priorities.

The Technology Advisory Group provides additional scientific and technical expertise to the ETG.

4.3 Prof. Prabhakar's TAG Membership

An official publication issued by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser identifies Dr. Anil Prabhakar, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, among the nine academic members of the Technology Advisory Group.

The same publication explains that TAG members may be invited to participate in ETG meetings at the request of the chair, depending on the subjects under consideration.

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser's currently published TAG roster lists a different academic membership and does not include Prof. Prabhakar.

The available documents therefore establish his inclusion in the earlier TAG membership roster but do not conclusively establish the date on which his appointment may have ended, or whether he continues to participate in TAG activities.

4.4 Nature of the Technology Advisory Group's Work

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser's September 2024 publication Vigyan Dhara provides a detailed explanation of how TAG operates within the government's technology-foresight framework.

The publication identifies three interconnected mechanisms:

The publication describes these bodies as the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser's technology-foresight framework.

TAG draws expertise from academia and the private sector and acts as a forum for examining technologies relevant to national priorities.

Documented Example: Carbon Capture

The government publication illustrates this process using carbon capture, utilisation and storage.

July 2023: TAG considered carbon capture technologies and the basic elements of a possible technology roadmap.

July 2024: PM-STIAC considered the subject in greater detail, including identification of an implementing agency.

Subsequent stage: The developed mission proposal was intended for ETG consideration before Cabinet approval.

The example demonstrates how a technology subject may progress from expert deliberation to a developed government programme.

It does not establish that an individual TAG member participates in every subsequent stage of a programme.

4.5 Documented TAG Meetings and Technical Subjects

Four TAG meetings have been publicly documented between July 2023 and July 2026.

First Meeting: 25 July 2023

Principal subjects: Carbon capture, alternative batteries and artificial intelligence.

The meeting involved government representatives, academic specialists and technology-sector participants.

Discussions focused on identifying national technology requirements and possible research and technology-development roadmaps.

Second Meeting: 18 February 2025

Principal subject: Advanced manufacturing.

The government reported that, by February 2025, the ETG had held 65 meetings, evaluated 122 research, technology-development, procurement and policy proposals from 27 ministries, and consulted 153 subject-matter experts.

These figures describe ETG-wide activities since its establishment in 2020.

Third Meeting: 3 February 2026

Principal subject: Strategic roadmap for robotics in India.

The meeting brought together TAG members, ETG members, government officials, academic specialists and robotics companies.

The discussions covered civilian technologies and applications relevant to defence and internal security.

Fourth Meeting: 10 July 2026

Principal subject: Strategic roadmap for India's telecommunications sector.

The meeting considered the possibility of creating a dedicated Communication Technology Task Force to support coordinated national research and technology development.

Participants included representatives of the Department of Telecommunications, BSNL, research institutions, industry organisations and telecommunications companies.

Individual Participation

The available public releases establish TAG's institutional activities and technology subjects.

They do not identify individual TAG project assignments undertaken by Prof. Prabhakar or confirm his attendance at each of the four meetings.

4.6 Wider ETG Programmes and Responsibilities

Official government records identify ETG consideration of proposals involving areas such as quantum technologies, telecommunications, semiconductors, space, scientific infrastructure, defence-related technology development and major research programmes.

The ETG's mandate includes policy support, procurement support and research-and-development evaluation.

Its founding framework provides for the examination of major technology procurement and R&D proposals exceeding ₹500 crore before their consideration through the relevant government approval mechanisms.

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser also reports that the ETG Secretariat has received more than 180 technology-related problem statements from approximately 35 government ministries and departments.

The Secretariat has identified potential technology partners in relation to departmental requirements.

These are documented activities of the ETG and its Secretariat, rather than individually attributed projects of Prof. Prabhakar.

Public institutional records identify several government-supported research projects involving Prof. Prabhakar.

These establish direct research associations beyond his government committee and advisory appointments.

5.1 Consolidated Project Register

The amounts represent project or institutional values recorded in the cited sources. They are not identified as Prof. Prabhakar's personal remuneration.

5.2 Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser: Quantum Key Distribution

IIT Madras's Annual Report 2016–17 records a research project titled Quantum Key Distribution.

The project was funded through the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

Quantum key distribution concerns the establishment and exchange of cryptographic keys using quantum-mechanical principles.

The project establishes a direct research-funding relationship with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser predating the constitution of the ETG in 2020.

5.3 DRDO: Quantum Computing and Integer Factorisation

IIT Madras's Annual Report 2024–25 identifies the following research-based industrial consultancy project:

Integer factorisation is a mathematical problem involving the decomposition of numbers into prime factors.

It is relevant to computational research and cryptography because certain conventional encryption techniques depend on the computational difficulty of factoring large integers.

The published project title establishes the research subject and DRDO's commissioning role.

The publicly available record does not identify the project's classification status, technical deliverables or contractual confidentiality provisions.

5.4 Department of Telecommunications: Photonic Switching for 6G

IIT (ISM) Dhanbad's register of ongoing research identifies Prof. Prabhakar as an external co-principal investigator on a project involving photonic switching technologies.

The project concerns silicon photonic switching systems for next-generation telecommunications.

Photonic switching uses light-based technologies to route or transfer information in communication systems.

The research is associated with future networks requiring high bandwidth, efficient switching and advanced optical components.

5.5 Department of Science and Technology: QuILA

IIT Madras's sponsored-project register, as of 31 March 2025, identifies Prof. Prabhakar as principal investigator of:

QuILA: Quantum Internet with Local Access.

The project is associated with research into quantum-secure communication networks and their associated technical infrastructure.

The amount recorded in the IIT Madras register pertains to this specific project entry and is not the overall budget of the National Quantum Mission.

6.1 Institutional Role

Prof. Prabhakar is identified as Project Director of the IIT Madras–C-DOT Samgnya Technologies Foundation, an initiative associated with the Government of India's National Quantum Mission.

The National Quantum Mission was approved in April 2023 with an allocation of approximately ₹6,003.65 crore for the period 2023–2031.

The mission covers quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing and associated technologies.

The Samgnya Technologies Foundation focuses on quantum communications research and development.

6.2 Nature of the Work

The foundation identifies four principal areas of work:

• Quantum cryptography and post-quantum security.
• Quantum key distribution networks.
• Quantum memory and repeaters.
• Satellite-based quantum communication.

The foundation also identifies Prof. Prabhakar with QuILA, a technical group working on quantum key distribution networks, electronic and photonic integrated circuits, and quantum network architecture.

These activities concern the development and integration of technologies used in secure communications systems.

The foundation's published institutional information identifies participation from IIT Madras, C-DOT and other research organisations.

6.3 Metro Area Quantum Access Network

Prof. Prabhakar is associated with the Metro Area Quantum Access Network (MAQAN).

A government telecommunications report identifies this as a collaborative project involving:

• IIT Madras.
• Centre for Development of Advanced Computing.
• Society for Electronic Transactions and Security.
• Education and Research Network.

The project concerns a metropolitan quantum key distribution network and serves as a testbed for quantum-secure communications, interoperability and network technologies.

Prof. Prabhakar presented the project at the International Quantum Communication Conclave.

MAQAN and QuILA are separately named research activities within his broader quantum communications work.

On 25 May 2026, the Reserve Bank of India announced the establishment of an Expert Committee for a Quantum Secure and Adaptive Financial Ecosystem (Q-SAFE).

Prof. Anil Prabhakar was appointed Convenor.

The committee was constituted to examine the implications of quantum technologies for India's financial system.

Published Terms of Reference

The committee includes representatives of the RBI, Department of Science and Technology, State Bank of India, National Payments Corporation of India, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Data Security Council of India and the quantum technology sector.

The RBI's FinTech Department provides secretarial support.

The announcement required the committee to submit its report within six months of its first meeting. The public announcement does not establish that the report had been completed by 29 October 2026.

8.1 Telecommunication Engineering Centre

Prof. Prabhakar is listed as a member of the National Working Group on Quantum Technology of the Telecommunication Engineering Centre, Department of Telecommunications.

The membership is documented in government working-group records for the 2025–2028 study period.

The working group's areas include:

• Quantum-secure telecommunications networks.
• Quantum key distribution standards.
• Interoperability and networking protocols.
• Quantum communications infrastructure.
• National participation in international telecommunications standards development.

The working group includes representatives from government bodies, academic institutions, industry, C-DOT, DRDO and quantum technology companies.

Prof. Prabhakar's name and IIT Madras affiliation appear in the official membership register.

8.2 Bureau of Indian Standards: LITD 38

Prof. Prabhakar's professional biography identifies him as:

Chair, BIS LITD 38: Quantum Technologies and Applications.

This technical committee concerns standards development in quantum technologies and their applications.

The chairmanship is recorded in his professional biography. An independent current appointment record confirming the chairmanship was not established in the sources reviewed.

8.3 Bureau of Indian Standards: LITD 17

An additional Bureau of Indian Standards record identifies Prof. Prabhakar as a member of:

LITD 17: Information Systems Security and Privacy Sectional Committee.

The published committee composition includes representatives from institutions and organisations such as:

• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• Defence Research and Development Organisation.
• Centre for Development of Advanced Computing.
• Data Security Council of India.
• National Payments Corporation of India.
• IIT Madras.
• Information technology companies.

The committee's subject area concerns standards relating to information-systems security, cybersecurity and privacy.

Prof. Prabhakar is named as IIT Madras's representative in the published committee composition.

NITI Aayog's December 2025 publication, Roadmap for Transforming India into a Leading Quantum-Powered Economy, identifies:

Dr. Anil Prabhakar: Expert Council Member.

The publication describes him as Professor at IIT Madras and Lead of the National Quantum Mission's Communications Hub.

Nature of the Work

The roadmap examines India's development of a quantum-technology economy through 2035.

Its subjects include:

• Quantum computing.
• Secure quantum communications.
• Quantum sensing.
• Domestic research and manufacturing capabilities.
• Commercialisation of quantum technologies.
• Technical standards and intellectual property.
• International partnerships.
• Investment and technology-development requirements.

The report addresses applications across civilian, industrial and strategic sectors.

Prof. Prabhakar's inclusion in its Expert Council establishes a documented contribution to a national technology-policy study. It does not independently identify which sections of the report he personally authored.

10.1 Quad Investors Network: Quantum Communications Task Force

A July 2024 report titled Quantum Science & Technology in the Quad Nations: Landscape and Opportunities identifies:

Prof. Anil Prabhakar: Lead, Quantum Communications Task Force.

The task force formed part of the Quad Investors Network's Quantum Centre of Excellence initiative.

The Quad Investors Network is an investment and technology collaboration initiative involving stakeholders from India, Japan, Australia and the United States.

The initiative brings together researchers, technology companies, investors and other participants concerned with critical and emerging technologies.

Its report is publicly hosted on the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser's website.

Task Force Activities

The July 2024 report identifies Prof. Prabhakar as the task force lead and records its findings on technology development, communications security, interoperability and cross-border cooperation.

The report also explains that the Quad Investors Network acts as a collaborative platform connecting investors, industry participants and innovators, rather than directly exercising government policymaking authority.

This association is distinct from his membership of the Indian Government's Technology Advisory Group.

10.2 International Union of Pure and Applied Physics

Prof. Prabhakar's professional biography identifies him as an Indian representative associated with Commission C9 on Magnetism of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics.

The biography records the period 2021–2027.

The commission's work concerns international scientific activity in magnetism research.

Prof. Prabhakar's professional biography records these associations.

His research website separately identifies the Department of Science and Technology, the former Ministry of Human Resource Development and DRDO among research sponsors.

The dated appointment terms and present status of certain committee and editorial associations were not independently established in the sources reviewed.

The following table brings together Prof. Prabhakar's principal government, institutional and commercial associations.

The report distinguishes between information established through public records and information supplied for the assessment.

13.1 Corporate Information

CurioNext's incorporation, directors and capitalisation are drawn from the supplied MCA-derived records. Statutory registrations and filing information are drawn from the supplied statutory records.

Prof. Prabhakar's five registered directorships and their recorded appointment and cessation dates are drawn from the supplied MCA-derived director records.

The shareholder percentages were supplied for this report and have not been independently verified against statutory shareholder records.

13.2 Government Appointments

Prof. Prabhakar's membership of the Technology Advisory Group is established by an earlier official government publication.

The current government membership roster does not include his name.

His Q-SAFE appointment, telecommunications working-group membership, NITI Aayog Expert Council membership and leadership of the Quad Investors Network's Quantum Communications Task Force are documented in published institutional records.

Other reported committee memberships are identified by his professional biography where an independent current appointment record was unavailable.

13.3 Technology Advisory Group Activities

The TAG meeting subjects are established through official government releases.

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser's published technology-foresight framework establishes the institutional relationship between TAG, PM-STIAC and ETG.

The available records do not identify individual TAG project assignments or document Prof. Prabhakar's attendance at each meeting.

13.4 Government-Funded Research

The projects identified in this report are supported by published research registers and institutional annual reports.

The recorded project values relate to the projects or institutional arrangements identified in those records.

They are not presented as personal remuneration.

The available public records establish research subjects, participating institutions and sponsoring agencies. They do not establish the classification status of individual projects or the confidentiality conditions applicable to Prof. Prabhakar.

13.5 CurioNext and IIT Madras

IIT Madras's December 2021 announcement documents its earlier Vibe development programme and Prof. Prabhakar's leadership of CREATE.

CurioNext's published material separately identifies its present Vibe product and describes its IIT Madras origins.

The detailed ownership, licensing and technology-transfer arrangements relating to the product have not been established from the available public records.

End of Report