Gati Drives Private Limited, a Bengaluru-headquartered startup developing electric motors for appliance and industrial applications, has raised a pre-seed investment from Campus Fund to support product development and early manufacturing scale-up. The funding will be used to advance the company’s rare-earth-free motor technology, expand production capability, and engage with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and consumer appliance segments.
Gati Drives is developing Slip Synchronous Permanent Magnet (SSPM) motors designed to deliver efficiency levels comparable to brushless direct current (BLDC) motors while reducing cost and eliminating the use of rare-earth materials. The company’s motors achieve around 90 percent efficiency and are priced 40 to 50 percent lower than premium BLDC motors, while being sourced entirely from domestic suppliers.
“Gati Drives represents a breakthrough in a traditionally stagnant industry that has seen little innovation in decades,” said Richa Bajpai, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Campus Fund. “We are backing a founding team with specialised expertise in motor research and development, addressing a large market opportunity linked to energy efficiency, supply chain independence, and cost reduction. Their SSPM technology offers BLDC-level efficiency at near induction motor pricing.”
The startup was founded by Suyash Mishra and Gajendra Jain. Mishra, who holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in electrical engineering from the Institute of Infrastructure, Technology, Research and Management (IITRAM), Ahmedabad, serves as Chief Executive Officer. Both founders previously worked as early engineers at Naxatra Labs and Motorama, where they were involved in the design of rare-earth-free motors for electric mobility applications.
India’s sub-1 kilowatt motor market is estimated at USD 4.7 billion and is growing at about 8.5 percent annually. More than 90 percent of appliances in the country continue to use induction motors, which are less energy efficient than BLDC alternatives. The HVAC market is projected to reach USD 29.4 billion by 2030, driven by rising appliance penetration and regulatory focus on energy efficiency.
“Electric motors have powered the world for over a century, yet manufacturers still face a choice between expensive imported BLDC motors and inefficient induction motors,” said Suyash Mishra, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gati Drives. “Our SSPM technology removes this trade-off by combining high efficiency with cost structures suitable for large-scale adoption in India.”
The SSPM motors use ferrite magnets manufactured in India and locally developed RISC-V microcontrollers, reducing dependence on imported components. The motors are also designed for component-level repair rather than full replacement, a feature intended to lower operating and maintenance costs in price-sensitive markets.
Gati Drives has initiated pilot programmes with several Indian companies and plans to scale pilot production to between 1,000 and 2,000 units per month by early 2026. The funding will also be used to expand the engineering team and complete certification processes required for commercial deployment.
Founded in Bengaluru, Gati Drives focuses on electric motor solutions for appliances and HVAC systems, with plans to expand into fans, pumps and electric vehicle motors over time.
