Pi Green Innovations is Irfan Pathan’s passion project that took him from his coffee business to cleantech. His vision is to provide clean air for all. The company develops technology-driven solutions to reduce particulate matter emissions (PM 2.5/10) at source and from ambient air. Using its patented ‘Filterless’ technology, Pi Green has developed Carbon Cutter machines, which are retrofits for diesel generators and large trucks. Its filterless technology has been patented in the USA, UK, China, EU and Singapore and it has patents pending in India and Japan.
Pi Green started out as a five-member team operating out of a 150-sq-ft workshop in 2017 and has since grown into an established cleantech company with a team of over 100 operating from a 50,000-sq-ft. manufacturing facility in Pune. “We have installed over 150 DG retrofits in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi NCR and are one of the leading providers of retrofit solutions for DGs in India,” says Pathan, the CEO & co-founder. “We have also developed after-treatment solutions for industrial boilers, crematoriums, jaggery processing units, and brick kilns to curb emissions at source.”
Repair, a filterless ambient air-purification tower that can be installed in public places like metro stations, railway stations and industrial establishments, is another of the company’s products, says Pathan, who successfully managed an FMCG venture called The Flying Carpet (Coffee Addict) and an iron ore trading business before founding Pi Green. Holding that every problem has a solution, he believes that innovation will play a key role in dealing with the challenges the world faces today. Known for his calm, firm and candid style, Pathan leads from the front and is a people’s person all the way.
Pi Green has customers across some key sectors, including auto and auto ancillary, heavy engineering and manufacturing, hospitality, FMCG, ports, food processing and packaging. The company’s Carbon Cutter technology was rated as one of the best technologies for air purification globally at Smogathon 2018, a global summit to review and rate such technologies. They are now working closely with various state governments and state pollution control boards on public policy advocacy to address domestic pollution-related issues.
Pi Green started commercial production in October 2020 and closed FY2021 with a revenue of Rs 2 crore. The company is well on course to close FY 2022 with a total revenue of approximately Rs 15 crore and a strong business pipeline of over Rs 100 crore. With process improvement and economies of scale, Pi Green shall be able to achieve operating profits from FY2023 onwards, says Pathan. The company received approximately $4.5 million in Series A funding in October 2021. This session was led by Opus Consulting’s Investment Fund and other strategic investors. Harshal Morde, director of Morde Foods, had previously invested $300,000 in angel funding to help the organisation achieve its goal of making clean air accessible to everyone.
Pi Green intends to use the funds to establish a full-fledged research & development centre for product development, testing, and certification, as well as to explore innovative methods to combat diverse types of emissions. The company plans to invest heavily in expanding its manufacturing capabilities and establishing a pan-India sales network. The cleantech firm is also exploring opportunities in international markets like the sub-continent, SE Asia and Europe.