Hardware startup finds its vibe against all odds

At a time when most startups focus on software products for the global market, Akash Rajan and his College of Engineering, Trivandrum (CET) colleague, Shino G Babu, chose a different path. In 2016, they decided to establish a hardware manufacturing unit in Kerala – that too in the virtually unknown field of sound and vibration analysis.

The two MTech graduates cofounded Tiera, aiming to indigenise vibration detection devices used in college labs. As expected, they faced significant challenges, with some officials they approached for help even suggesting they consider making hollow bricks instead.

Despite this, they persevered and eventually built a firm that now boasts over 100 clients, including international companies, and achieved a revenue of 2 crore rupees in 2024.

The journey of Tiera’s co-founders is unlike the typical startup success stories one hears. It offers a glimpse into the challenges faced by firms venturing into Kerala’s hardware sector and presents a potential roadmap for the government, which frequently speaks of promoting manufacturing in the state.

“There is a lot of talk in Kerala about the need to improve its manufacturing sector. But it is still a tough path for new companies as an ecosystem is absent. Policies to encourage have been promised, and some have been implemented, but ground realities haven’t changed much,” says Akash Rajan.

“I also think we're selling the wrong dream to young startup founders. The prevailing narrative revolves around building firms that grow exponentially and become world beaters. Officials tend to focus on sectors like clean energy, semiconductors, robotics, and artificial intelligence, while overlooking the fact that for any industry to thrive, we need nut-and-bolt makers. Such firms may not deliver the exponential growth that venture capitalists seek, but they form the backbone of the industrial sector and must be supported by the government.”

Industry Regulations

Tiera manufactures machines that collect vibration data and offers services to test and evaluate machinery for compliance with industry standards. Its product range includes multi-channel vibration analysers and software, machinery fault simulators, universal vibration simulators, as well as mountings, adapters, and cables for condition monitoring. The startup also provides both online and onsite training and guidance for professionals as well as freshers entering the field.

In many countries, the effects of vibration on human health are taken seriously, with stringent regulations in place. Mechanical vibrations from power tools and other vibrating devices are regulated, as continuous exposure can damage nerves and internal organs of workers. Even buildings housing such machinery must comply with regulations concerning the impact of vibrations.

Most countries enforce strict vibration-based structural health monitoring programmes to ensure the operational safety of mines, bridges, dams, and buildings.

India is yet to introduce standardised regulations in this field, and the imported machines used in the sector remain expensive. Tiera is addressing this gap by offering cost-effective alternatives, with their affordable devices gaining traction in markets across the US, Europe, Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, and Israel.

They also supply their systems to prestigious institutions such as the Indian Navy, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Barc), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and leading educational institutions like the IITs.

Usual Path

Akash says that, like most people, he began looking for government jobs after graduating from CET in 2006. He landed a position at Indian Space research Organisation (Isro) – that too in the cryogenic engines section. However, after a couple of years, he realised the work wasn’t what he had imagined and decided to pursue his true passion: teaching.

“I resigned and trudged back to CET to pursue an MTech and PhD, aiming to become a teacher. It was during this time that I developed an interest in vibration science and started delving deep into it.”

To learn more about vibration data collection, the college invited a multinational company specialising in such products. However, their hardware came with a hefty price tag – 25 lakh rupees and upwards. “Before they left, they told me to my face that our college would never have the budget to buy such machinery,” recalls Akash.

To make matters worse, Akash’s stipend was delayed. “So there I was, having given up a 50,000-rupees-a-month job at Isro, struggling to make ends meet. I decided to start a tuition centre, probably the only business venture that technically qualified people in Kerala can start easily, even today.”

Through teaching vibrations and related engineering subjects, he began generating revenue and soon purchased his own vibration analyser. This allowed many students to conduct experiments at a lower cost.

As he explored further, Akash realised that vibration measuring instruments were unaffordable for most colleges and even many industries in India, as the machines were imported. This insight sparked the idea of establishing Tiera. Shino Babu, who was then working as a lecturer at Mar Baselios College of Engineering and Technology, quit his job and joined as a co-founder.

Hollow Advice

As newcomers to a niche field, the company faced unique challenges – even the expert panels set up to support startups struggled to evaluate their ideas. “There were officials who wondered whether hollow brick production was a better idea,” says Shino Babu with a laugh.

“Anyone planning a startup should remember this: you need to sustain yourself first. And believe me, most families in Kerala are not going to support a startup, despite all the official hype and media praise,” adds Akash. “My parents are doctors, and they just couldn’t understand why I had left a well-paying job to pursue something that was lower-paying and risky.”

“So, I had to earn my own money to chase my dream. Fundings are difficult to come by. Even banks, which are encouraged to boost the hardware sector in other states, take a different approach here in Kerala. If you look at all successful entrepreneurs today – be it Sam Altman or Elon Musk – they all started by generating income through small projects and used them as stepping stones to bigger things.”

Using the money accrued from running his tuition centre as a foundation, Akash took the plunge. He admits that Tiera wasn’t engaged in groundbreaking innovations or developing anything entirely new. Instead, they focused on reverse engineering to replace expensive imports from the US, UK, and Germany, by using bits and pieces that were available locally.

“We were inspired by stories of how APJ Abdul Kalam used to scour scrap dealer shops in Trivandrum to build components when he was working at Isro here,” he recalls.

Humble Start

CET was their primary client in the early stages, and over the next few years, the company supplied devices worth over 80 lakh rupees to their alma mater, saving the college millions of rupees in import duties.

They began by networking with companies coming to CET for various installations and started collaborating with them. Initially focusing on system integration, they began generating revenue by offering services to clients who had previously relied on costly overseas providers.

The firm soon gained traction among industries, and Kerala-based companies, which had traditionally depended on test facilities in Chennai and Bangalore, began making their way to Tiera’s office at the Trivandrum Engineering Science and Technology (Trest) Research Park. The co-founders believe that despite Kerala being labelled as barren land for industries, there are enough local firms in need of such services.

Tiera now has 10 full-time employees and offers over half a dozen products, accessories, and software packages. The startup received financial backing from Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) but has not gone for other funding drives.

The co-founders are confident that even with their existing products, the company can triple its revenue by 2030. They are also looking to expand their product line and explore other fields such as fluid dynamics.

Long Way to Go

“There are many manufacturing areas still untapped, such as casings for electronic products, which continue to be imported. But we have to go through the hard grind. China didn’t become a high-quality manufacturer overnight; it took them decades. We have to start somewhere, and our time is running out,” say Tiera's co-founders.

They believe Kerala has much work to do if the manufacturing sector is to develop. Officials need to take a proactive approach, actively seeking out enterprises to understand their challenges. They should visit the units, understand their issues, and remove obstacles in their path. There should also be a platform to provide them with more visibility, enabling their participation in tenders from other states.

Providing a building and collecting rent is not the solution, as hardware units have a long gestation period. These firms require much more hand-holding, yet for every startup approaching authorities for help, it feels like entering a police interrogation cell.

Indian robots join the race

It’s not often you hear of Indian robotics firms securing substantial funding, so it’s heartening to learn that Bangalore-based Ati Motors has got backing worth 20 million US dollars. The seven-year-old startup plans to tap both domestic markets and factories in the US and Southeast Asia, as countries seek to reduce their dependence on China, according to TechCrunch. The company manufactures robots that transport goods in factories and warehouses and their customers include Airbus, Ceat Tyres, Hyundai, Samsung, and TVS Motor.

China continues to lead in robotics, with a video of Shenzhen-based Engine AI’s humanoid walking like a human even impressing Nvidia senior research scientist Jim Fan. According to DigiTimes, the company seems to have overcome the “mechanical deadlock” that hampers most humanoids, which typically walk with bent knees, resembling someone rushing to the toilet. Unlike conventional robots relying on bent knees for balance, SE01 achieves superior control through advanced torque management and precise movement, says the report.

A dating app to bookmark

Book readers are perhaps a tribe on the verge of extinction. Recognising this, a startup in Bangalore has launched a dating app specifically for book lovers. Users of the Bookmark app can search for like-minded readers and connect with them. The profiles are structured like a book, featuring sections such as a biography with a blurb, preface, story, epilogue, and even a bibliography of the books, authors, and genres the person has read. A report by YourStorysays that users can see each other's face only after exchanging ten messages. Whether the app succeeds or not remains to be seen, but the startup deserves full marks for its out-of-the-box thinking.

Game set to lure GenZ

Attracting GenZ is the main focus for many sectors, including sports bodies. Australian tennis authorities are launching a game aimed at achieving this goal. The idea is for users to take on the role of a coach or agent, guiding their pick of AI-generated tennis players both on and off the court. The app blends sport, artificial intelligence, social media, and storytelling. Tennis Australia says the Beyond Tennis app will initially feature 16 players who compete in events throughout the year. These players look, act, and communicate like real athletes, engaging with their coach on a one-to-one basis via the app. Among the AI players are those from India and China, signalling the catchment area the Australians are eyeing.

Trash to cash bid denied

Remember the guy who was suing a Welsh county to get permission to dive into their landfill and rescue his old computer hard drive? Well, a British High Court has denied him the right to dig through the garbage in hopes of recovering 8,000 bitcoins that were stashed on the drive. Back in 2013, when the computer was tossed away as waste those bitcoins were worth over 538 million US dollars. But the Newport County stopped his mission citing technical difficultiesand the astronomical cost of such an operation. After Bitcoin’s value skyrocketed, Howell managed to get a multi-million-dollar backer, but the court put the brakes on his adventure, ruling that his chances were slimmer than a Wi-Fi signal in a basement.