Shaivee Malik, Vivek Mahindrakar and Dharmik Bapodara first met at IIT Delhi. “I was doing my B Tech in production and industrial engineering, Vivek and Shaivee were doing B Tech in mechanical and biotechnology engineering respectively,” says Dharmik Bapodara. “I first met them when I joined the formula racing club of our college in my first year. We used to design, develop and test formula style single-seater electric race cars that would go 0-100 in just 3.5 secs!” “Back then we spent most of our time in the garage. We would even sleep there and directly go to classes in the morning,” says Bapodara. “The team used to run like a mini startup where students had to manage everything from funds and sponsors to recruitment, manufacturing and testing.” After graduation, the trio decided to start their own venture. In early 2022, Yotuh Energy was born, its name derived from the Sanskrit word ‘yotuhu’, which means ‘act of cleaning’. “We were working in clean tech – taking the cold chain from grey to green — and chose the name Yotuh Energy for our startup,” says Bapodara. The real idea bulb moment came during market research. “In the fifth month of our market study phase, we visited a transporter standing outside the cold storage while the AC unit was continuously on and grumbling about fuel cost. That’s when we decided to work on electrifying the refrigeration chain,” says Bapodara. Yutoh makes electric refrigeration units for intra-city mid-mile logistics, the first to enable Tata Ace and EVs into the cold chain with electric refrigeration units; diesel-based AC units do not fit in small commercial vehicles. Yotuh has its own fleet of refrigerated vehicles in Chennai (Tata Ace and Tata Ace EV) and plans to expand it to Bengaluru and Coimbatore.
Yotuh applied for grants and other equity free funding options for its initial requirements. It’s first was a NIDHI EIR grant (dept of science and technology) from IIM Udaipur Incubation. That money was used to make a prototype and test it with a transporter. “After that, we have received multiple grants and awards and won some cash prize challenges,” says Bapodara. That list includes the RAFTAAR grant (PABI) by the ministry of agriculture, a seed grant by Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (incubator), a seed fund from IIT Madras Incubation Cell (incubator), the NEXUS Program startup grant award from US Embassy, the Carbon Zero Challenge 4.0 prize by IIT Madras and the TIDE 2.0 EIR by IIM Visakhapatnam (ministry of electronics and IT).
The Yotuh team moved to Chennai after spending a year in Delhi. “We got to know about this opportunity to get incubated by IIT Madras and DICV,” says Bapodara. The team’s first call with Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala (former head of IITM Incubation and Research Park) was a game changer. “He did not ask much about our idea at first. He asked more about ourselves … After a few rounds of evaluation we got in,” says Bapodara. Sine July 2023, Yotuh has since been working out of IIT Madras Research Park in Chennai. This Aug, it raised 1.53 crore from Campus Angels Network. It also got Cavinkare founder C K Ranganathan as a major investor and auto industry veteran Vinod Dasari as advisor. “For our next phase, we are looking at anywhere between $2.5 million and $3 million,” he adds. “We have orders from our pilot customers and will start delivering by Dec,” he says. Currently Yotuh’s production facility in Ambattur can make around 30 units a month.
Look after Lifestylesis a Zikoko weekly sequence about bask in, relationships, situationships, entanglements and all the issues in between.
Lifestyle What’s your earliest reminiscence of 1 one more?
Tobi: I met her at a mutual friend’s dwelling party subsequent door two year within the past. I came unhurried, and most folk had left, nonetheless she used to be there with a female friend sitting outdoor the dwelling as soon as I entered the gate. She used to be the principle person I noticed, and I upright walked as much as her and said hi. I idea she used to be foine along with her thickness and mini skirt.
Repel: I noticed him the moment he opened the gate and stepped in. I idea he used to be too properly dressed for the very celebrated gather-collectively. Don’t gather me unpleasant. He used to be dressed casually, nonetheless you’d expose he in moderation curated his t-shirt, cargo shorts, and what Nigerian wears a face cap at evening?
Became out he labored within the song trade: He had some extensive credit score as a producer and used to be lift to being a recording artist himself. I didn’t obtain that out straight away, despite the indisputable fact that.
Lifestyle What came about within the meanwhile?
Repel: The friend I came with in the end left me at the party. Then we chatted for a bit before he invited me subsequent door to his keep because he desired to circulation away. I declined, so we exchanged numbers and persisted chatting into the wee hours of the morning as soon as I obtained dwelling.
Tobi: Yeah. We compacted months of talking stage into that one evening.
Repel: The next day used to be a Sunday. He invited me to his keep one more time, and I went this time. He took me to his studio, and that’s when he told me about his song.
He desired to kiss me diverse instances until I told him, “I don’t part”.
Tobi: So I requested her to be my lady friend.
Repel: Then I repeated what I said: I don’t part.
Lifestyle What does that imply?
Repel: If he needs to kiss or date me, he has to be prepared to kiss or date ideal me.
Tobi: That used to be an very glorious deal. I came about to be single at the time. I’d been single for approximately 5 months, and I basically liked her already.
Lifestyle Why exactly did you love her?
Tobi: I upright knew she wouldn’t bore me or complain about all the issues. She has this comfy “no stress” vibe that made me feel love I’d ignore all my conflict as soon as I’m along with her.
Repel: And what you noticed used to be what you obtained.
Tobi: Certain. Even when she’s difficult or in a temper, she’s nonetheless customarily upright vibes. All I want to terminate is relieve her feel higher any formulation I’m in a position to.
She does lots for me, too. She takes care of me, especially as soon as I’m over-centered on studio work.
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Lifestyle So you began relationship the following day?
Tobi: Certain. I requested her out in my dwelling that day. She laughed nonetheless nonetheless said k. I had to grunt exclusivity to her sha. I’ve never been one to admire a facet chick or diverse ladies, anyway.
Repel: It used to be crucial to vocally agree on that beforehand, despite the indisputable fact that.
I said yes because I liked his face, idea he had sense (as per, he can withhold a dialog and his opinions made sense), and he used to be CLEAN. Predominant. Nonetheless I additionally believed he upright desired to assemble to originate out with me.
Tobi: Neatly, that’s accurate. Nonetheless clearly no longer your total truth. I additionally desired to detect how a long way the connection would hurry. I basically didn’t know at that point if it would perchance well originate it previous some originate-outs or no longer.
Lifestyle When did you realise you liked one one more?
Tobi: The first time we had sex about every week after relationship. I bear in mind waking up subsequent to her the morning after feeling so elated, love I’d carried out greatness.
Additionally, the principle time I had to scamper to make, in direction of the tip of that month. We’d made up our minds she wouldn’t hurry along with me because I desired to withhold my non-public lifestyles entirely non-public. Within the previous, my girlfriends had elements with that, nonetheless she respected my feelings and even came to pick out me up at the airport in her mum’s vehicle when my management messed up.
Repel: I want to force, so I didn’t mind the least bit. And he’d been long previous for every week. I couldn’t wait to detect him one more time.
Tobi: It used to be closing minute, and I nearly didn’t put a requirement to her to come because I idea she’d be pissed off. Nonetheless I felt upright as soon as I noticed her at the airport taking a survey so elated to detect me. All I desired to terminate used to be kiss her for hours.
Lifestyle How has navigating your relationship with a song profession been thus a long way?
Repel: It’s been hundreds of united states of americaand downs. In particular as I work for an oil company, and it’ll be upright as annoying. The fitting distinction is that it’s lots more stable than song. We’ve had to conflict to originate time for one one more. In particular when he drops a consuming in, and he has to be in each single keep promoting it.
Tobi: Nonetheless we originate it work. We progressively text every time we can’t call. And when issues are quieter, love I’m between initiatives, we meet up. She comes over to my keep for days or likely weeks.
Repel: We additionally strive to circulation on dates, nonetheless we progressively terminate up leaving about half-hour in to upright be collectively at dwelling. After we dress good and hurry to eating locations, we by some skill terminate up telling them to pack the food up so we can eat bare at dwelling.
Tobi: I’m an extroverted introvert, and she’s the reverse.
Lifestyle Is this all phase of retaining the connection non-public?
Tobi: I’m customarily a non-public person. I don’t want folks to grab my parents or siblings either. It’s no longer that deep; I’m nonetheless coming up. It’s no longer love I’ve blown. I upright don’t feel happy having my trade out within the start love that.
Repel: I’m so sure if he used to be in every other trade, he wouldn’t even be on social media. He likes to be mysterious.
Lifestyle Tare, how terminate you’d likely be feeling about being unable to shroud one one more off to the area?
Repel: I don’t love it infrequently, I gained’t lie. In particular when he has a shroud nonetheless doesn’t want me coming along to hype him.
I obtained facet-eyes when my associates heard that one. A pair of them are within the song trade as successfully, nonetheless mostly the trade facet, and they’ve progressively said, “Don’t date a musician. They’re either too broke or will sleep with anyone. By no arrangement terminate it. Ultimate don’t.” It’s been all individuals-I-know’s mantra, so I basically don’t know how I obtained here.
Tobi: I pressed your mumu button.
Repel: Safe out.
Lifestyle How terminate you navigate that opposed vitality?
Tobi: I mediate we upright know ourselves successfully. I’ve given her no cause to mistrust me. The same ingredient for her. Other individuals’s principles don’t apply.
Repel: It hurts when my associates are elated he’s playing me, all because he’s no longer bringing me out to the golf equipment or posting movies of us on socials. They mediate I’m a fool for accepting that, nonetheless I basically know this man in my thought. I know what we’ve carried out for one one more, how we hype ourselves up at the inspire of the scenes the keep issues are much less glamorous.
Additionally, he’s no longer broke o. Or no longer it’s miles a must-want to detect how mighty this man collects to construct folks’s songs. Ahhh. Nonetheless I don’t must expose them non-public info about my relationship to assemble them to have faith me.
Lifestyle What are many ways you attach have faith?
Repel: Verbal change. I’m extensive on that. We retain one one more to blame for each minute detail of our lives. We focus on about issues love planning in direction of paying his youthful siblings’ charges. We focus on all our comings and goings. I nearly progressively know the keep he’s at any given time. On the different hand, 90% of the time, he’s in his studio, which is in his dwelling.
I know all his associates successfully, too; they’re annoyingly progressively hanging out at his keep anyway.
Tobi: Yeah, she doesn’t love that. I’ve slowly had them circulation out or quit away. Now, each our associates admire causes to loathe the different person. Haha. That’s lifestyles.
Nonetheless, yeah, what she said. We progressively talking. When folks strive to toast us, we ship one one more the screenshots and yab ourselves.
Repel: I’d be love, “See o. They’re toasting your babe o. Someone needs to know me to the club you don’t want to know me to o.” No. We’re so chilled with one one more. Here is the most laid-inspire, no-stress relationship I’ve ever been in. And I bask in it here.
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Lifestyle Sweet. It’s been two years; marriage ceremony bells anytime soon?
Repel: Nah. We’re nonetheless young and looking out out for to attach our careers.
Tobi: Yeah. Marriage and looking out out for to originate it in song don’t rather mix. So, it used to be progressively crucial for me thus a long way anyone upright as centered on building their profession over getting married early. Tare is huge driven at work, and I bask in that about her.
Repel: What are you marrying for within the event you haven’t secured the fetch, abeg? I’m with out a doubt getting married o. I desire a husband. Nonetheless money first for now.
Lifestyle Possess you guys had a essential battle but?
Tobi: Bear in mind as soon as I said she didn’t love that I progressively had my associates at my dwelling? Yeah, that precipitated diverse essential fights.
Repel: Should always you came to Tobi’s three-mattress this time closing year, you’d meet as a minimum six guys crashing there. He had guys over 100% of the time. Some would even sleep over for months. It wasn’t conducive for me the least bit.
Tobi: I knew she used to be gentle. Nonetheless I didn’t want to confront my guys for some time. Most of them give a grab to my song hustle. One is a slightly smartly-liked hype man. I had a few fellow artists and producers or upright folks with long legs within the trade.
Lifestyle Handsome
Repel: Most of them admire been soiled. They didn’t mind leaving outdated plates or attire in each single keep. Commonly, I’d upright follow Tobi’s room as soon as I gather to his dwelling. Nonetheless it began feeling love we lived in a self-contained.
So sometime closing year, I told him he used to be lying that the flat used to be his. It’s obvious he ideal owns his room — you recognize how associates rent out residences collectively after which part the rooms? He used to be so pissed as soon as I said this.
Then, about two weeks later, he cleared out the flat. No more hangers-on all around the lounge, kitchen and entrance yard. No more funky scent. It used to be love magic.
Tobi: She bruised my ego, and she’s rejoicing. Girls!
Lifestyle Would you allege you each hold with your associates much less customarily now that you’ve region boundaries?
Repel: Certain. I’ve distanced myself, nonetheless no longer so mighty that I’m isolated. I know I’ll nonetheless want my female give a grab to. And I’d want to nonetheless be there as soon as they want me the most.
Tobi: I see my associates much less, yes. Nonetheless I never outdated to hold with them love that. I don’t basically hold with folks.
Repel: He’s too filled with himself, don’t mind him.
Lifestyle Is that accurate?
Tobi: I upright don’t basically rate mindless fun love that. And that’s what most folk love having. As soon as I’m no longer booked and busy with gigs, I’m booked and busy with manufacturing jobs. I’ve obtained to quit centered. And my guys admire progressively understood that. They know I even admire a babe now, so they upright blame it on her, no longer me.
Repel: See the formulation he’s announcing it.
Neatly, I’ve additionally mostly reduce off the fellows who’re against our relationship upright because they’re judgemental. I’m legit-supporting ladies’s (especially associates’) rights and wrongs, please.
Lifestyle How would you rate your relationship on a scale of 1-10?
Tobi: 20.
Repel: God, now I even want to claim 20, too?
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