Get All Access for $5/mo

Anand Mahindra Backs Robotics Startup Genrobotics as the Latter Ramps up its Fight Against Manual Scavenging Genrobotics has raised INR 2.5 crore in Pre Series A funding round from Unicorn India Ventures, Anand Mahindra and SEA

By Shipra Singh

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Twitter: Anand Mahindra

Robotics startup Genrobotics on Wednesday said it has raised INR 2.5 crore in Pre Series A funding round led by the company's existing investor Unicorn India Ventures.

Billionaire businessman Anand Mahindra and SEA are the new investors who participated in the round.

Death of three people in Calicut, Kerala due to asphyxiation inside a manhole led the foundation of Genrobotics in 2016, when the company's founders Vimal Govind, Rashid K, Arun George and Nikhil NP were still in college. Over the next year, the quartet built Bandicoot, a robotic machine engineered to clean any type of sewer manholes, to eradicate the menace of manual scavenging.

Last year, the chairman of Mahindra Group Anand Mahindra took to twitter to appreciate Genrobotic's innovation. He wrote "There's a lot of nervousness about the role of robots & AI in the future. But frankly, if robots can liberate people from this most degrading job in the universe, then I promise I will discard any doubts & always pray at the shrine of technology & robotics."

"It was a great moment for us when Anand Mahindra took a personal interest in favor of robotic solutions for the real crisis hidden in. Mr.Mahindra has offered his full support on implementing Bandicoots in each and every corner of India for putting an end to this dehumanizing activity completely and it has accelerated the process of transforming the manual scavenging to Robotic scavenging," said co-founder and CEO Govind.

Generobotics founders with Bandicoot

The company said it will use the fresh capital to further scale up production of Bandicoot to meet the growing demand and to develop new products for the healthcare segment.

"We are happy that we went against our rules of not investing in just an idea in the case of Genrobotics. When we met them two years back in Kerala, the prototype was ready and they needed funding for a commercial-ready product. We decided to back them as we saw the potential robotics can bring to certain socially important issues especially if the team backing the business is as passionate as we have seen in Genrobotics, said Anil Joshi, managing partner, Unicorn India Ventures.

"To facilitate their expansion plans, we have decided to back them up with additional funds."

So far, the Thiruvananthapuram-based company has worked with the central government as well as several state governments and deployed Bandicoot in 11 states.

Shipra Singh

Entrepreneur Staff

Freelance Journalist

News and Trends

D2C Skincare Brand Foxtale Bags USD 18 Mn in Series B led by Panthera Growth Partners

With the raised capital, the Maharashtra-based skincare brand aims to scale its core digital business and concentrate on expanding into new categories.

News and Trends

Wipro Introduces Lab45 AI for Enhanced Business Solutions

With over 1000 GenAI agents and more than 10 GenAI applications, the platform claims to offer no-code and low-code pre-built applications.

Science & Technology

Why We Shouldn't Fear AI in Education (and How to Use It Effectively)

Facing resistance to new technologies in the educational process is nothing new, and AI is no exception. Yet, this powerful tool is set to overcome these challenges and revolutionize education, preparing students and professionals for a future of unparalleled efficiency and personalized learning.

News and Trends

Recur Club Unveils INR 1,000 Cr Debt Offerings for Startups and SMEs

In FY 24–25, the platform also plans to deploy an additional INR 2000 crores through its Recur Swift program for startups.

Growth Strategies

Edtech Platforms Capitalising On CUET Coaching Market

Be it major Edtech companies, UPSC coaching centres, or neighbourhood tuition academies, everyone is testing the CUET waters to see what opportunities it holds for them.

Growth Strategies

Learn business by doing business across the Globe: The next revolution in Entrepreneurship

As the startup ecosystem sees an influx of new entrepreneurs, the question arises: Is our current business education sufficiently equipping students for the entrepreneurial challenges they will face?