2014 In Review: Dawn of The Indian Hardware Startups

Not only tech(read:software) startups are receiving attention, hardware startups have had their own share of attention in the startup world. Hardware Startups not only have to execute their idea on internet, they have to give physical shape to their idea to create interest among consumers for their product. This is  where hardware startups differ from others. Here’s a list of hardware startups which have put wings to their ideas and their ‘work’ works perfectly to vow us.

Ather Energy

Founded In: 2013

Founders: Swapnil Jain, Tarun Mehta

Funding: Received $1 Mn in seed funding on 3rd Dec 2014 by our very own Flipkart founders  Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal.

Location: Chennai

With erratic weather conditions and melting polar ice caps, Global Warming is the most talked about topic today. Quest for alternative fuels has reached its height and as a result e-vehicles come into play. There have been a number of e-scooters which run on electricity but their usage was limited as they would take hours to charge and would operate only for 100kms or so. To bring a revolution in this sector Ather Energy, a Chennai based startup is working on their e-scooter which they claim to be 20 percent lighter than petrol scooters and can go from zero to 60 kmph in 11 seconds, with a top speed of 75 kmph.Smart vehicles are in vogue given today’s scenario. The company aims to collaborate these concepts.

Fin: Wearable Ring Make your Palm as Numeric Keypad and Gesture Input

Founded In: 2012

Founders: Rohildev N

Funding: $200k in Product Crowdfunding on 10 March 2014 & raised undisclosed amount in Series A round from Kalaari, Guerrilla Ventures.

Location: Ernakulam

After smart glasses and smart watches, smart rings have

entered into wearable technology. They will sit inconspicuously on your finger and will let you feel like a magician.One such ring is Fin. It is a tiny hardware product that you can wear on your thumb as a ring and it will make your whole palm as a gesture interface. It can uniquely recognize each segments of the fingers and can convert your palm into a numeric keypad. It is a Bluetooth enabled device that can be connected to three different digital world gadgets like Smartphones, Smart TVs, Automobiles, and Home automation devices providing multiple device compatibility. It uses Bluetooth for Communication with connected devices.

GOQii: Be The Force

Founded In: February 2014

Founders: Vishal Gondal

Funding: Undisclosed amount by leading Angel Investors from Google, Dell, TiE, Segate etc. Its investors include Neeraj Arora, Marco Argenti, VP Amazon Web Services,  Madhuri Dixit Nene, Amit Singhal of Google, Goutam Godhwani of SimplyHired, Prashant Gulati a serial entrepreneur, tech evangelist and startup mentor.

Location: Headquartered in California with offices in Mumbai and Shenzhen

Being fit is the new rage these days, everyone wants to look at their best and to achieve this fitness apps play a vital role.To take these apps to the  next level fitness bands and watches come into play. Fitbits and Nike Fuels are a few names to start with. Increase in this trend attracted Samsung too to come up with Galaxy Fit. Then there is GOQii which stands out of this crowd. Yes, it does the same function of tracking your steps, your sleep and any physical activity. Here’s the twist, you earn Karma Points to donate based on physical activity. It makes you feel good by quantifying your physical activity and working towards a good cause, win-win.

Bisko Labs: Keep Calm.Create Awesome Stuff

Founded In: June 2014

Founders: Vivek Mohan and Alfred Johnson

Funding: Seed funding from Guerrilla Ventures

Location: Startup Village, Kochi

Bisko Labs focuses on hardware products which redefines the conventional way of doing repeating task in daily life.This Kochi based startup has made some cool stuff like automatic plotter which has an accuracy of 0.3mm. Another product is sensor based quadcopter which uses gesture input to operate. Their latest and most revolutionary product is Intelligent Gear Transmission(IGT) which can convert any geared motorcycle to automatic geared.This technology is pending for patent and has received tremendous response.

MAID: Make All Incredible Dishes

Founded In: January 2011

Founders: Sabarish Prakash, Arjun Sarath, Biniyas Valiyaveettil, Nibu Alias

Funding: $125k in Seed Funding in December 2014 and seed funding from Guerrilla Ventures

Location: Ernakulam

Apps are used anywhere and everywhere. This Indian startup came up with a brilliant idea of creating a smart oven which brings crowd-sourced recipes directly to your kitchen. You can search for recipes based on ingredients, type of dish or just ask MAID to recommend a dish.

MAID is connected to a recipe store via internet where chefs across the world can upload recipes.It will also have the capability to stream cookery shows from the Recipe Store so that you can cook while watching them. It will be keeping an eye on your eating habits and calorie intake and act as a personal dietician.

Intugine Technologies

Founded In: September 2013

Founders: Harshit Shrivastava

Funding: N/A

Location: Bangalore

This Bangalore-based startup is behind the science-fiction-come-true idea Nimble. Nimble is a gesture control device that fits comfortably on the wearer’s fingertips. This gesture control technology turns the 15 feet in front of any screen into a highly interactive control area, in which your fingers can be used to magically control a screen, presentation or game. Sub-millimeter accuracy paired with incredibly low latency makes Nimble the ideal gesture control system, and the hardware expansions allow for up to eight users.

Lechal

Founded In: 2011

Founders: Anirudh Sharma, Krispian Lawrence

Funding: N/A

Location: India

Wearable technologies are the new trendsetters. There is Google Glass to be worn on eyes and there is Fin which is a wearable ring and here is a shoe which helps you to navigate. Lechal by Ducere Technologies, creates a hands-free navigation system through feet, guiding the wearer towards their destination through simple vibrations in their shoes or insoles.Apart from its navigation function it also counts your steps and track your calories burnt.

Tewee

Founded In: August 2013

Founders: Sai Srinivas Kiran G, Shubh Malhotra

Funding: N/A

Location: Bangalore

Increasing screen size of phones led to the term ‘phablets’ but no one could satiate their need of having a bigger screen to enjoy our media or games. Teewee, by MangoMan Consumer Electronics is one device which we believe can achieve this goal. It is an HDMI Dongle, which allows you to stream media wirelessly via a smartphone application to your television. All you have to do is find a TV with an HDMI port, plug it in, download the app and you are good to go! It is an alternative of ChromeCast but at half of its price.

DosaMatic

Founded In: February 2012

Founders: Eshwar K Vikas

Funding: INR 1 Cr. by Indian Angel Networks in October 2013

Location: Bangalore

As the name suggests DosaMatic helps you make dosa with the help of click of few buttons.This machine by Mukunda Foods is so easy to use that it doesn’t require skilled labour to operate.All you have to do is to fill the machine batter, oil and  water. After a few pushes of a button the dosamatic gives you crisp dosa every time with no error. It also gives an option of customising the dosa as per its size and its roast.

Robots Alive

Founded In: May 2009

Founders: Abheek Bose

Funding: ‘The Morpheus’ portfolio company

Location: Bangalore

With all these apps advancing in terms of technology they still require a basic thing to work which is user input. Technology is treading on the path of being completely automated. To achieve this Robots Alive has taken a step further by incorporating a robot in their team. The company currently is in B2B domain with plans of entering B2C domain soon. Company has a sole motive to improve robotic technology India as the present technology is obsolete.

Mashinga

Founded In: 2012

Founders: Sreekumar K.R., Nijil Y., Nidal Rashid

Funding: Guerilla Ventures

Location: Kerala

A hardware product startup formed by three computer science graduates, Mashinga builds multi-touch hardware and surface computing solutions. It leverages the technology of multi-touch and the art of human computer interaction to bring computing to new mediums. It products/solutions include multi-touch tables, interactive kiosks, and inclined or vertical displays which can be used in various sectors like Food & Hospitality, Retail, Advertising, Conventions and Information Display.

Block – The Smart Riser

Founded In: January 2014

Founders: Jibin Jose, Abimanyu Nair

Funding: Guerrilla Ventures

Location: Kochi

Flip Technologies come as a boon for all skateboard lovers. They develop tracking devices for adventure sports. Block is a skateboard tracker which used to enhance their ability to perform and analyse tricks. The device is connected to the truck of the skateboard and tracks the dynamics of the board and the data is send to a smartphone app via Bluetooth . The app can determine the trick performed and help the skateboarders to improve their skills and as well as show off their skills and abilities in the social media. Device is a great learning tool too like a personalized trainer for everyone.

Asimov Robotics

Founded In: 2012

Founders: Jayakrishnan Thrivikraman Nair

Funding: 150K self funding + seed funding from Guerrilla Ventures

Location: Kochi, Kerla

ASIMOV is an acronym for Advanced Systems with Intelligence Mobility and Vision. ASIMOV Robotics Pvt Ltd is a incorporated in April 2012 is managed and run by team who have over eight years of experience in conceptualizing, design, development/manufacture of various robot hardware, software and solutions applied to real life problem solving.

ASIMOV Robotics provide reliable and sophisticated systems and solutions in the areas like robotic simulation and control, machine-vision, AI, virtual reality, and navigation for the use of various market sectors such as light-duty flexible manufacturing guidance, assistance, surveillance, security, health-care, space exploration and entertainment etc.

Piquor Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Founded In: 2011

Founders: Pranjal Prashar, Vineet Chauhan and Arpit Gupta

Funding: $50,000 seed funding each in January 2013 and October 2014

Location: Gurgaon, Haryana

The company has a flagship product “Piquor Booth” which is a touch screen kiosk that enables clicking high quality digital pictures and sending them instantly through email. It bridges the gap between outdoor media and online marketing such that a company’s “key message” is interactively delivered & spreads virally and effortlessly through social networks. Piquor has tied up with brands in Gurgaon and Bangalore and the booths have registered more 2,00,000 unique interactions. More than 80,000 people have shared the photos on Facebook.

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This is part of our special series, In Focus: 2014 In Review, in which we showcase the highlights of 2014 and what’s to come next year in the Indian Tech Ecosystem. Stay tuned for more.

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