Pollution control device maker Chakr Innovation secures pre-Series A round

Chakr Innovation--a pollution control device making startup has raised undisclosed funds in a pre-Series-A round from IDFC-Parampara Fund and Globevestor Funds.

The Delhi-based startup, will use the capital infusion from the early-stage venture firms to expand production and for research & development of new products.

Floated by Arpit Dhupar, Kushagra Srivastava and Prateek Sachan in 2016, the startup has developed a retrofit device called Chakr Shield. This shield fits in the exhaust pipe of a diesel generator and captures 70-90 per cent of the particulate matter, ranging from PM 1 and PM 2.5 to PM 10.

Further, the captured material is passed through an air cooler exchanger pipe and stored in a solvent. The soot produced is converted to ink in Chakr's processing unit, which can be used for printer cartridges and paint.

The device is currently being used in IIT-Delhi and at some factories in Gurugram, Noida, and Ghaziabad. This year, Chakr is planning to test the system at 25 different locations in Delhi to bring down the capital's air pollution level, largely caused by diesel generator emissions.

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Globally, Chakr also working with the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago’s India team to pilot and test their ideas.

The company has so far raised over $1.5 million, which includes a seed funding of Rs 1.6 crore from Delhi government along with the University of Chicago, which gave a grant of $100,000 in 2016.

Chakr was part of BOSCH India's DNA Accelerator Programme and got backing for product development and technology commercialisation. In 2016, it became a winner of India Innovation Growth Programme, held by the Department of Science & Technology, and in August 2017, it won a grant for new technology development from Indian Oil Corp.

The development was reported by ET.