Sedemac is building 'Bosch' of India.
Built by a Professor and his students.
Lets decode their inspiring journey.
Academic Roots: Shashikanth Suryanarayanan, a UC Berkeley PhD, left a GE engineering role to join IIT-Bombay in 2004, driven to create impactful tech in India.
Student Spark: Three IIT students, Manish Sharma, Pushkaraj Panse, and Amit Dixit teamed up with Shashi, facing initial struggles to secure industry projects.
TIFAC Breakthrough: In 2007, a INR 1 crore TIFAC grant funded their fuel injection system, cutting two-wheeler emissions by 95%, a pivotal early win.
SEDEMAC Founded: Launched SEDEMAC Mechatronics in 2007 to build electronic systems for small engines, battling skepticism about Indian hardware startups.
First Deal Struggles: Secured INR 25 lakh from a two-wheeler OEM in 2008, but faced doubts from larger OEMs reluctant to trust an unproven player.
Early Funding Hurdle: Raised $3.2M in 2008, a rare feat when deep-tech investment was scarce, enabling product refinement despite market skepticism.
Electronic Governor: Developed a cost-effective “electronic governor” for variable-speed engines, outshining pricier global rivals like Woodward.
OEM Resistance: Faced rigorous scrutiny from OEMs’ R&D and procurement teams, overcoming trust barriers with engineering excellence and persistence.
Niche Market Win: Targeted overlooked two-wheeler and genset markets, signing marquee clients like TVS, Bajaj, and Mahindra by 2011.
Retrofitting Vision: Post-2008 crisis, identified a fragmented retrofitting market for aging vehicles, navigating chaotic local mechanic networks.
Vertical Integration: Bucked outsourcing trends with in-house manufacturing in Vikhroli, Mumbai, ensuring quality and cost control amidst rising raw material costs.
Global Debut: By 2014, showcased at international auto shows, expanding into marine and stationary power systems despite limited brand recognition.
Patent Defense: Filed early patents to protect innovations, safeguarding against imitators and building customer confidence in a competitive landscape.
Service Network: Trained distributors and technicians from 2016, transforming basic support into a skilled network to boost customer trust.
Revenue Surge: Grew from INR 37 crore in FY16 to INR 141 crore by FY18, a 280% leap, nearing profitability despite operational scaling challenges.
ISG Innovation: In 2019, pioneered the world’s first sensorless integrated starter generator for two-wheelers, overcoming R&D complexity for cost savings.
BS-VI Challenge: Faced disruption as India’s 2020 BS-VI norms favored fuel injectors, but leveraged 2008 EFI research to supply OEMs globally.
Pandemic Resilience: During 2021’s semiconductor shortage, SEDEMAC’s EFI units and ISGs filled supply gaps, tripling revenue to INR 429 crore by FY23.
Investor Outreach: Hosted 2022 investor calls to demystify deep-tech, attracting private equity and OEMs, a bold move to bridge market gaps.
$100M Milestone: Raised $100M in May 2024 at a $260M valuation, with early investors earning 15x returns, validating years of grit.
Manufacturing Push: Allocated $9M for a new plant in 2024, enhancing capacity to meet surging demand in India, the US, and the EU.
EV Ambition: Launched sensorless motor controllers for EV two-wheelers in 2024, tackling hub motor failures, a global first with no direct competitors.
Genset Goal: Aims to power one in four gensets (up from one in ten), challenging giants like Cummins in a $4.5B Indian market by 2025.
Scale and Impact: By September 2024, hit INR 600 crore in revenue, 100 crore EBITDA, powering 5 million vehicles and 1 million generators.
Global Expansion: Established distributor networks in Africa and the Middle East, with plans to penetrate the US and China markets in 2025.
Cultural Core: Maintains an R&D-driven culture from IIT roots, balancing profitability, rapid growth, and deep-tech innovation, a rare Indian trifecta.
India needs more such stories, to build a real deeptech base.
Company website;
Innovative control products for large markets.
www.sedemac.com