| Friday, May 13, 2011 | |||
The unique climate control technology, designed by Dhama Innovations, allows people to cope with extreme climatic conditions. Brainchild of Kranthi Kiran Vistakula, Dhama Innovations offers a range of functional apparels and accessories for its customers By Vinnie Bhadra Ideation The proverb, ‘Necessity is the mother of all inventions,’ stands true in the case of Kranthi Kiran Vistakula, founder of Dhama Innovations. Plagued by the common problem of coping with extreme climatic conditions, Kranthi, founded Dhama Innovations during his stay in the US. Kranthi was pursuing his Masters from MIT when he came up with this concept. “The freezing winters forced me to layer my clothes every time I stepped out of my house. But the sharp contrast in temperatures between the acute cold outdoors and the centrally heated indoor environment meant putting on and taking off these layers repeatedly throughout the day. While everybody else accepted this as a rather inconvenient part of life, I perceived it as an opportunity for innovation that could make life better,” says the young entrepreneur. Kranthi came up with a unique climate control jacket and returned to India just with the prototype, to start this business fledge. “I always knew I would come back to India and setup my own business, but with ClimaCon climate control technology I have found my calling. ClimaWare - a range of functional apparel and accessories was the first line to be launched by Dhama Innovations,” says Kranthi.
With the support of Government of India's Technopreneur Programme, Dhama Innovations was started at the prestigious National Institute of Design's Business Incubator in Ahmedabad (2008). “We have been working on independent operations as well in a state-of-the-art innovation centre located in Hyderabad. With a concept like ours, we have been lucky with the kind of support we have received to set up business. I always preferred the Indian market in terms of an idea and innovation, because as a society we are much more open to experimentation than the Western countries,” adds Kranthi. ClimaCon is a unique technology incorporating novel heat transport mechanisms that can be readily embedded into clothing and accessories to provide heating/cooling on demand. USP“The ClimaCon technology incorporates an efficient heat transport mechanism that removes/adds heat to provide thermal comfort to the body. Even though it may sound technical and out-of-reach, this technology was developed specifically keeping the Indian users in mind. However, at the present scenario, the ClimaCon technology is used to design climate control shoes, jackets, neck wrap, head gear, etc.,” says Kranthi.
Funding and staffing In 2008, Vistakula was awarded a government grant of Rs 12 lakh. The National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, which was involved in the selection process, offered to incubate his company. The company currently has six employees and four interns who are working actively towards business development. He also got venture capital funding from various VCs and angel investors, who helped bring in networking and contacts apart from the funding. Future plans Dhama Innovations is currently in the process of tying up with various corporate houses in India to source their ClimaCon products. "We are trying to create awareness about this technology by tying up with a few designers to produce stylish products that will appeal to the common mass as well," adds Kranthi. Dhama’s revenues are projected at $1 million in 2010-11 and $100 million in five years. “It’s a new product and a lot of educating has to be done. This is hitting our marketing plans,” he says. Dhama is creating animation and video material to reach out to potential users of such jackets. LINKS: |
