Delhi startups find a breathing space in smog-hit capital

BENGALURU: Neha Nayan, a 27-year-old doctoral student in New Delhi, uses a nasal air purification device every time she goes for a jog in the morning. “I used to suffocate and was developing respiratory issues before I found out about the product,” said Nayan.

With air pollution reaching dizzying levels across metropolitan cities in India, especially in New Delhi, a slew of startups has emerged in the Capital the past two years offering solutions.

Chinese air-quality monitoring startup, Kaiterra, is the most recent to enter the Indian market, aiming to invest “a few $100,000” on researching the air quality and pollution issues in the country.


“We initially started out in Beijing in 2014 and with pollution levels soaring in Delhi, it made sense for us to enter the Indian market. Since we have developed air-quality monitors and data systems that show how pollution is created and identifies the specific sources, this data that we provide to businesses and consumers can help drive policy and enforcement,” Niti Soans, India chief executive of Kaiterra, told ET.

Besides, Kaiterra, which counts Microsoft and Amazon among clients, other airquality monitoring startups in the capital include Smart Air Filters and Stanford University alumni-founded PerSapien.

“While the problem continues to rise, we are yet to see policies and laws enforced by the government,” said Ashutosh Thakur, cofounder of Smart Air Filters, which launched its first set of air purifiers in November 2015.

The company also provides custom air purification services to residential and commercial locations.

“We first launched a large air purifier for around ?80,000, then last year launched an affordable one for ?3,500,” said Thakur.

PerSapien, a Delhi-based startup launched last year, has developed a nasal air purification device called Airlens. It has also launched a mobile app called Airlens Data that informs users about the quality of the air they breathe.

“The tech relies on algorithms that take inputs from satellite emissions data, traffic data, weather forecasts, and sensors to calculate the air quality index,” said Dr. Shashi Ranjan, cofounder of PerSapien.

According to a Greenpeace report in 2017, people living in eight of every 10 Indian cities breathe toxic dust particles at levels exceeding national safety limits.

Across 280 Indian cities, no place met the World Health Organization’s air pollution safety levels. The report also indicated that the top 20 mostpolluted cities in India were in North India, with the top five being Delhi, Faridabad, Bhiwadi, Patna and Dehradun.