Chennai: Nikhilesh Mishra and Puneet Jain met at IIT Roorkee nearly 17 years ago and spent their free time recharging their batteries by discussing start-up ideas. A mechanical engineering student, Mishra was interested in automotives and in his final year delivered a couple of lectures on electric vehicles, batteries and electric drivetrains.
For Mishra and Jain, co-founders of lithium-ion battery startup Grinntech, this was when their startup journey began. “It occurred to me that by the time we mature in our career, internal combustion (IC) engines will begin to make way for electric ones,” remembers Mishra. “I discussed this idea with Puneet, and we decided to start our company in the EV domain.” Since batteries are the costliest part of an EV, it was a “fast decision” to focus on lithium-ion batteries. But it took nine more years for final incubation under IIT Madras in 2017.
Their meeting with IIT Madras professor and EV evangelist Ashok Jhunjhunwala turned the tide for Mishra and Jain. “IIT Madras incubation has been one of the most important building blocks for growing Grinntech,” says Mishra.
