Five IIT Madras‑incubated deep‑tech startups – ePlane, Atri AI, Satori XR, Greenvironment.ai and Zerowatt – are scaling into the US after participating in the SelectUSA Investment Summit.
IIT Madras startups target US growth
Five deep‑tech companies incubated at IIT Madras are preparing to expand operations into the United States, aiming to tap into global investors, new customer segments, and strategic partnerships. The startups – The ePlane Company, Atri AI, Satori XR, Greenvironment.ai, and Zerowatt – operate across sectors such as electric aviation, edge AI, immersive technologies, environmental infrastructure, and industrial sustainability. After showcasing their technologies at the SelectUSA Investment Summit, they are now advancing local‑market entry plans, including potential US headquarters, pilot projects, and early‑stage manufacturing.
The initiative receives support from the IIT Madras Global Research Foundation, which is helping the startups build networks in the US innovation ecosystem. The foundation connects them with investors, infrastructure operators, and state‑level government bodies, smoothing the path toward commercialisation abroad. Sources close to the initiative said the Foundation acts as a bridge between IIT Madras’ research base and American technology, manufacturing, and public‑sector stakeholders.
The ePlane Company pursues US air‑mobility market
Among the startups, The ePlane Company has attracted particular attention for its work in electric vertical take‑off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft aimed at urban and emergency‑care mobility. The Chennai‑based venture is developing an all‑electric aircraft that can take off and land vertically like a helicopter but fly horizontally like a fixed‑wing plane, enabling operations from constrained urban sites without conventional runways.
After recently completing a ground‑test prototype, the company is now engineering a second aircraft intended for flight testing and eventual certification. Divya Manchanda, Executive Vice President (Business Partnerships and Advanced Air Mobility Strategy) at The ePlane Company, said the SelectUSA summit allowed the team to understand state‑level incentives, regulatory pathways, and investor expectations in the US advanced‑air‑mobility space.
Initially, the company plans to enter the air‑ambulance segment, followed by air taxis and air‑cargo services as the technology matures and regulatory approvals follow. The firm has already secured an order commitment for 788 air ambulances worth over $1 billion from ICATT, an air‑ambulance operator, signalling strong early‑market demand. Commercial operations are expected to commence by early 2028; the company plans to begin US operations after completing key certification milestones in India.
Once the startup establishes a customer base in India, Manchanda said, The ePlane Company intends to set up an assembly unit in the US to serve North American and Latin American markets more efficiently. The aircraft’s design also positions it as a candidate for emergency‑medical, last‑mile medical logistics, and air‑taxi services in congested megacities where conventional runways are scarce.
Atri AI sets up base in California
Another IIT Madras‑backed startup, Atri AI, has announced plans to establish its US headquarters in California as it scales its edge‑native artificial intelligence platform across transportation, infrastructure, and industrial sectors. The company will invest approximately $2 million over the next two to three years to build engineering, sales, and technical‑support teams in the region.
Founded out of IIT Madras, Atri AI focuses on processing AI workloads directly on edge devices – such as cameras, sensors, and industrial gateways – rather than relying on cloud infrastructure for real‑time decision‑making. Manoj Bharadhwaj, Founder and CEO, explained that many real‑time intelligence systems today depend heavily on cloud connectivity, which introduces latency, bandwidth constraints, and scalability bottlenecks. “We are solving this by processing data locally on edge devices and running AI models directly where decisions need to happen,” he said.
The platform already powers real‑time accident detection and traffic‑monitoring systems, using AI‑equipped cameras and edge computing nodes to analyse vehicle movement patterns, detect anomalies, and issue instant alerts. The startup sees applications beyond transport, including industrial automation, waste‑management operations, wildlife‑conservation monitoring, and smart‑infrastructure surveillance. By processing more computation at the edge, Atri AI aims to reduce cloud‑cost exposure for clients while improving response speed and data‑privacy compliance.
Satori XR enters US from Michigan
Immersive‑technology startup Satori XR has established its US headquarters in Michigan, targeting North American manufacturing and automotive customers with its AI‑powered 3D enterprise solutions. The company plans to invest about $1.5 million over the next five years, expecting to create up to 25 local jobs in engineering, enterprise sales, and deployment operations.
Roshni Dasgupta, spokesperson for Satori XR, said Michigan was chosen for its proximity to automotive and advanced‑manufacturing clusters, along with access to engineering talent in the Ann Arbor region. The startup develops mixed‑reality and 3D‑visualisation tools for sectors such as automotive, aerospace, healthcare, and industrial training, enabling immersive simulations, remote collaboration, and AI‑driven workflow optimisation.
As carmakers and industrial firms increasingly adopt digital twins, virtual training, and AI‑driven design validation, Satori XR aims to position itself as a preferred partner for immersive‑enterprise software. The company foresees steady demand for AI‑augmented visualisation, interactive training modules, and simulation‑based design reviews from both OEMs and Tier‑1 suppliers seeking to cut prototyping time and enhance worker‑experience.
Greenvironment.ai scales water‑infrastructure tech
Environmental‑tech venture Greenvironment.ai is also accelerating its US expansion, focusing on AI‑ and IoT‑driven systems for water and environmental‑infrastructure management. The startup claims to have deployed its solutions across over 400 sites in India, spanning hospitality, healthcare, industrial, and utility sectors.
Mohanraj Makkuni, Co‑founder, said the company is now exploring pilot projects and partnerships in the US across commercial real estate, manufacturing, healthcare, and municipal utilities. “We believe the future of water infrastructure will be intelligent, predictive, and AI‑driven,” he said, underscoring the startup’s vision for self‑optimising water‑management networks that anticipate leaks, detect contamination, and forecast demand.
Greenvironment.ai’s platform uses sensor‑networks, edge‑computing controllers, and machine‑learning models to monitor water quality, flow, energy consumption, and usage patterns in real time. The system flags inefficiencies and hazards before they escalate, enabling operators to conserve water, reduce energy use, and comply with environmental standards. The firm is also evaluating plans to establish a manufacturing facility in the US within the next two years to produce edge controllers and monitoring hardware closer to American customers.
Zerowatt targets industrial energy efficiency
Kerala‑based Zerowatt is entering the US market with a focus on industrial energy‑efficiency and decarbonisation. The startup deploys IoT and AI systems to continuously monitor electricity, steam, water, and industrial processes in factories, helping manufacturers identify energy wastage, operational bottlenecks, and maintenance triggers in real time.
Zerowatt claims its solutions are already deployed across more than 100 industrial sites in India, where customers report improved energy‑utilisation and reduced utility costs. As global manufacturers raise their sustainability and decarbonisation targets, the company sees growing demand for real‑time energy‑intelligence platforms that bridge the gap between plant‑floor data and corporate‑level ESG reporting.
In the US, Zerowatt expects to target energy‑intensive industries such as textiles, food processing, chemicals, and metals, where even small efficiency gains can translate into large savings. The company plans to tailor its analytics dashboards to local regulatory frameworks, utility‑pricing structures, and emissions‑reporting requirements, enabling manufacturers to meet both financial and environmental objectives.
IIT Madras Global backs US push
Thirumalai Madhavnarayan, CEO and Director of IITM Global (IIT Madras Global Research Foundation), highlighted the significance of the SelectUSA summit for the institute’s international ambitions. “Participation at the SelectUSA Investment Summit has been an excellent experience,” he said. “It’s a proud moment to see IIT Madras represented here.”
Madhavnarayan explained that the IIT Madras Global Research Foundation carries a mandate to take the institute’s research and innovation ecosystem global, built on four pillars: deep‑tech and growth‑stage startups, research and consultancy capabilities, intellectual property creation (with more than one patent filed per day), and advanced certification and skilling programmes. By supporting these five startups in their US outreach, IIT Madras aims to demonstrate how Indian‑incubated deep‑tech ventures can compete in global markets while maintaining strong ties to home‑country research and manufacturing.
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