PUNE E Spin Nanotech is a nanotechnology manufacturing firm that pivoted in the face of Covid-19 to startup its movement towards making its R&D keep Indians safe.
The uses of nano-technology are myriad. From baby products to AC vents to Covid-19 masks, nanofibers are all-encompassing. E Spin Nanotech had an indigenous antiviral, antibacterial mask ‘Swasa’, in the market months before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out
That, however, is not where the story begins.
E Spin Nanotech is not a startup in the typical sense of the term – recently launched, online driven, currently boot-strapped. Its proof of concept, revenue stream and customer acquisition have all been in the works for at least a decade now.
It began in 2010 and was comfortably ensconced in the B2B world of research-led, process driven manufacturing. Its primary product, a nano-fibre spinning machine, was first purchased by IIT Kanpur. IIT Kanpur is key to this company’s “startup” pivot, because the founder, Sandip Patil, is an alumni of the institute; a PhD no less.
Swasa N95 Mask and Covid19 outbreak
The company pivot came without the firm realising it.
“We started working on the Swasa N95 mask in 2017-18. Sunil Dhole, a PhD from IIT Kanpur, Nitin Charhate – also a student of UDCT Jalgaon – who returned to India from Europe to join our team, and Mahesh Katheria were part of our team which worked on the product. These were conceptualised before the pandemic broke out in 2019-end,” says Sandip Patil.
