# Piyush Verma

> Piyush Verma is the co-founder and CEO of Neural Defend, an AI cybersecurity startup that detects deepfakes across video, audio, images, and real-time streams. A two-time founder and former MIT, Harvard, and Tsinghua researcher, he previously built Manush Labs, an impact accelerator backed by billionaire Desh Deshpande, and founded the MIT India Initiative. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and MIT Tata Fellow trained in design at IIT Delhi, Verma now works to defend real human identities against synthetic deception, with Neural Defend raising $600K in pre-seed funding and partnering with Zee News on India's first media-led deepfake verification system.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Neural Defend
- **Organizations:** Neural Defend, Manush Labs, MIT India Initiative, MIT Tata Center for Technology and Design
- **From:** India
- **Nationality:** Indian
- **Education:** Master of Science (full merit scholarship), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Master of Design, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi)
- **Known for:** Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree (2021), Co-founded Neural Defend and raised $600K+ pre-seed funding, Won first place and ~$50K equity-free at NYC Tech Week startup award by a16z (only Indian startup among 10 global finalists)

## Career timeline

- **2018** — Becomes MIT Tata Fellow at the MIT Tata Center for Technology and Design
- **2020** — Founds Manush Labs, an impact accelerator backed by billionaire Desh Deshpande, and the MIT India Initiative
- **2021** — Named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree
- **2024** — Co-founds Neural Defend, a deepfake-detection cybersecurity startup, out of MIT's Venture Mentoring Service
- **2025** — Neural Defend debuts at FinovateEurope in London and raises $600K pre-seed led by Inflection Point Ventures
- **2025** — Partners with Zee News on India's first media-led deepfake verification system
- **2026** — Neural Defend named Best Cybersecurity Startup at the India AI Impact Summit

## Achievements

- Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree (2021)
- Co-founded Neural Defend and raised $600K+ pre-seed funding
- Won first place and ~$50K equity-free at NYC Tech Week startup award by a16z (only Indian startup among 10 global finalists)
- Neural Defend named Best Cybersecurity Startup at India AI Impact Summit 2026
- Built Manush Labs into an accelerator that nurtured three dozen startups with 50+ team members and Fortune 500 clients
- MIT Tata Fellow at the MIT Tata Center for Technology and Design
- O1/EB1A green card holder
- Published research in Frontiers, Springer Nature, and UC Berkeley publications

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — Neural Defend raised $600K+ in pre-seed funding led by Inflection Point Ventures, with MIT SBXI, Techstars San Francisco, and Soonicorn Ventures participating.
- **2025-03** — Partnered with Zee News to launch India's first media-led deepfake verification system for news media.
- **2026-02** — Neural Defend recognized as Best Cybersecurity Startup at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

## Links

- Website: https://neuraldefend.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piyushverma7/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/piyush-verma
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-21