Neural Defend - Defending Reality from Digital Deception

Our Team

Team Behind the Innovation

Founding team:

Piyush Verma, CEO of Neural Defend, is a two-time founder and former researcher at MIT, Harvard University, and Tsinghua University, China. His expertise spans human-computer interaction, product design, and entrepreneurship. Verma's entrepreneurial endeavors include founding Manush Labs, a venture backed by billionaire investor Desh Deshpande, and the MIT India Initiative. Manush Labs, an impact accelerator, achieved significant success by nurturing 3 dozen startups, team of 50+ members, and securing clients among Fortune 500 companies. His work has been featured in prominent publications such as The Hindu, Forbes India, YourStory, Times of India, India Today, as well as MIT Tata Center and Harvard Innovation Labs. Recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree (2021), he also holds an O1/EB1A Green Card and has published research in leading journals like Frontiers, Springer Nature, and UC Berkeley publications. He holds a Master of Science from MIT (full merit scholarship), a Master of Design from IIT Delhi, and boasts product/UX experience from his time working at IBM R&D in Germany.

Siva, CTO of Neural Defend. His expertise spans AI-driven product development, scalable system architecture, and advanced research in liveness and deepfake detection. With over 6 years of AI industry experience, Siva has worked at Intel, IBM (via UST Global), Axis Securities, and CISCO Systems. He holds 2 AI patents in Face Anti-Spoof Detection. His work earned him the Intel Edge AI Award (2020) and recognition as a certified expert by leading technology platforms, including AWS, Azure, Intel, IBM, and Google. His work at intel on developing Speech recognition technology and AI based security solution on Axis Securities via Zuqo has been scaled to millions of users pivotal. He is also a Master of Science in Data Science & Management graduate from IIT Indore and IIM Indore, blending technical expertise with strategic vision, is a University Gold Medalist (2018) in B.Tech.

Sumit, CDO of Neural Defend, is an experienced professional in cloud technologies and big data. A graduate of COER Roorkee (B.Tech, 2020), he has managed data pipelines worth over $200 billion for clients like INVESCO through Publicis Sapient. Certified in AWS, Azure, GCP, Snowflake, and Hadoop, Sumit has contributed to delivering large-scale, effective solutions.

Why We Are Building Neural Defend:

Entrepreneurship is not a path we chose lightly. It stems from a deep conviction in solving one of the most pressing issues of our digital age: safeguarding authenticity in a world overwhelmed by synthetic media and misinformation. For Siva, leaving a high-paying AI job wasn't just about chasing a dream; it was about creating a tangible impact using years of expertise in AI/ML and cybersecurity. For Sumit, transitioning from a thriving data scientist career at Invesco to building Neural Defend reflects an unyielding belief in the mission to protect digital trust at scale.

Our Commitment and Drive:

Our founding team brings a unique blend of technical expertise, entrepreneurial experience, and unwavering resilience. With a proven track record of scaling businesses, filing patents, and solving complex AI challenges, we are uniquely positioned to tackle this issue. Piyush's previous ventures and Forbes recognition underscore his ability to lead with innovation and scalability, while Siva's patents and AI accolades reflect his technical ingenuity. Sumit's deep understanding of large-scale data systems ensures the robustness and scalability of our solutions.

Our Personal Duty:

We feel a profound responsibility to create a safer digital landscape. This is not just a business venture; it is a personal mission to contribute to a world where authenticity triumphs over deception. Neural Defend isn't just a company—it's a commitment to ensuring that the digital space remains a place of trust, transparency, and truth. In building Neural Defend, we are not just solving a problem; we are shaping the future. This belief drives us every day, and we are determined to bring our vision to life.