Penning a success story

A start-up by five youngsters from Kerala has launched their flagship device in Dubai
Freshcraft
Freshcraft

Adversities give wings to innovations. A fact that five young engineers from Kochi have proved through their startup. The five Shyam Kurup, Vineeth Kumar, Noble Sam, Mahamood Karim and Gopan Krishnakumar came together to found Freshcraft, a socially committed, innovative startup that aims to provide a better living through advanced home and health improvement solutions.

The startup, Freshcraft, was incorporated in 2021. Though the idea behind Tenshield, their flagship device, took root in the minds of the founders in 2020, during the lockdown period. Explaining their association, Noble, the managing director of Freshcraft says, “Some of us got acquainted during the Chennai floods and then came the 2018 deluge in Kerala. We came together again, working hand in hand in helping out people.”

However, what prompted the five to launch a startup of their own was the pandemic-initiated fear of job loss. According to Noble, each of the five founders has a different background. “Shyam is a naval architect by profession and has been working with a corporate company for the past 17 years. He is still working. As for Vineeth, the CEO, he worked as the COO of the celebrity badminton league in Kerala. Mahamood Karim is a dropout but a whiz when it comes to anything related to electronics, while Gopan and I have the same background,” said Noble.

According to him, the team realised there is a huge market for air purifiers just like the water purifier in 2000. “However, the purifiers available in the market were costly or came embedded in air conditioners. They also covered a closed room. So we decided to come up with something that could be used in a bigger area like a supermarket,” said Noble.

The startup did a pilot project for the PVR. “But it had few shortcomings and many of the components were hand manufactured,” he added. To make it in the international standards they then turned to technology and began using SMD components. The company has applied for a patent for its product and the process of awarding it has reached the final stage.

The startup has been guided by plasma scientist, Dr Arun Kumar Sarma, the director general of NECTAR, an autonomous body in central India. It is also registered under NECTAR.

New-gen purifier
As reports of the World Health Organisation (WHO) came out citing atmospheric pollution as one of the greatest health hazards, the Kochi-based startup launched its first intelligent safety device, Tenshield, that guarantees quality indoor air and surface. The team unveiled Tenshield at a function in Dubai, along with the company’s logo and a video of the innovative product.

“The need to control the alarming indoor pollution and its resultant health issues prompted us to launch Tenshield,” said Freshcraft CEO Vineeth Kumar Mettayil. “Besides Tenshield Go, we have two other innovative products: Tenshield Atom for 3,000 cubic feet and Tenshield Sky for 10,000 cu ft,” he said.
The event also saw Freshcraft handing over its three versions of Tenshield to some of the startup’s first associated clients.

Tenshield disperses plasma-mediated ions into the surroundings, thus creating a shield against various air and surface-borne illnesses. The product substantially neutralizes all pathogens in real-time, thereby improving indoor safety by significantly reducing particulate matter and other harmful organic compounds around.

Aries Group of Companies founder chairman-CEO Dr Sohan Roy, Samvardhana Motherson Health Solution COO Vimal Manchanda and Head of Procurement (Middle East) of Amazon Satheesh Nair were present during the occasion.

Manchanda said Freshcraft’s young team brimmed with not just energy, but a determination to solve issues. “They were very sure about the qualities and standards needed. They have worked hard,” he added. 

“As Henry Ford once stated, ‘If you all move forward together, success will take care of itself.” The start-up has received orders from across the globe. “The growing demand led us to extend our workspace and open offices in Dubai and the US,” says the team. “We are planning to widen our market into other countries and pitch in with a wide range of products,” they add.

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