Plant-based air purifier startup UBreathe raises funding from Namita Thapar

UBreathe, a biotech startup that develops plant-based air purifiers, has raised Rs 1.5 crore from Namita Thapar on the popular television show Shark Tank Season 2. The episode featuring the company was aired on 14th February 2023.

In the episode, the UBreathe team delivered a pitch highlighting the critical impact of air pollution on our health.

The 30-year-old founder, Sanjay Maurya, and 28-year-old Head of Product, Shubham Singh, began their presentation by indicating their ages as 45 and 50, referencing how high air pollution levels in Indian cities are ageing our lungs faster.

A recent study indicates that an average person in Delhi loses 10 years of life due to air pollution. Sadly, this problem has increased geographically, with even states such as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh seeing people lose an additional 2.5-3 years of life expectancy.

The team further explained how the existing air purifiers not just fail to address the indoor air quality problem holistically but also have a negative environmental impact.

Founded in 2018 by Sanjay Maurya, Akhil Gupta, Akshay Goyal, and Inderjeet Rao, UBreathe said that its unique purifiers combine the natural air purifying capabilities of plants with modern technology.

The startup's proprietary design boosts a plant’s natural process of removing pollutants from the air with improved soil breathability. Unlike mechanical purifiers that filter only dust pollution and are highly toxic to the environment, their solution captures all the contaminants in the air.

The product is tested and certified by NABL Labs and has been reviewed and recommended by the faculty of AIIMS Delhi, the startup claims.

UBreathe’s research is backed by premier institutes such as IIT Ropar, CIIE.CO IIM Ahmedabad, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (Meity), Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), and the Nexus US Embassy Delhi. The company has filed 6 patents in India and Europe.

Commenting on the funding, Sanjay Maurya, CEO and Co-founder of UBreathe, said, “We are truly thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Namita Thapar and to be able to bring UBreathe to a wider audience in India and abroad. Namita's extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry gives her an in-depth understanding of the time and effort necessary to develop a product like UBreathe. For the last several years, we have had the privilege of making a real difference in the lives of 1000+ customers. Over the next couple of months, we will be taking up marquee projects with offices and private and public schools to reach out to more people and make a bigger impact on on their overall health”

Notably, The startup has taken on high-profile projects with the goal of making a larger social impact. These projects include air quality management initiatives with the UN House in Delhi, the Government of Maharashtra, and public primary schools in Chennai.

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