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How An Automobile Engineer Is Helping To Fight Against COVID-19

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How An Automobile Engineer Is Helping To Fight Against COVID-19

The world is currently going through an unprecedented crisis in the modern times.  A highly infectious virus named COVID-19 has been spreading throughout the world with almost every country in the world reporting positive cases.  The virus attacks the respiratory system and the infected person exhibits flu-like symptoms and can be fatal to old people or people with weak immune systems.  The virus spread so quickly that healthcare professionals are unable to keep up with the influx of cases and hospitals are filled to the brim with no room to accommodate more cases in some countries.  In the midst of this, there is an acute shortage of medical masks which come under personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors and nurses. A normal surgical mask does not help with keeping the virus at bay and healthcare professionals require an N95 mask.  An N95 mask or N95 respirator is a particulate-filtering facepiece respirator that meets the N95 standard of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health air filtration rating, meaning that it filters at least 95% of airborne particles.

The COVID-19 virus made its way to India and the central government sprung to action and imposed a nationwide lockdown for three weeks which began on March 24th,2020.  India also has a severe shortage of PPEs with many doctors and hospitals complaining about a lack of the masks. The shortage is partly due to the panic buying indulged by the public and also due to unavailability of masks.

Times like these always give way to extraordinary individuals who rise up to the occasion.  Abrar is one such individual who rose to the occasion. It all began when Abrar noticed the strain on the medical fraternity and the healthcare infrastructure due to lack of resources and PPEs.  This prompted Abrar into action and got him thinking about how to create a face shield at home with simple raw materials easily available. After some initial brainstorming and research on the internet, it took Abrar 24 hours to come up with a working design for a face shield.  

Abrar then put the prototype design on his Instagram handle and asked for feedback and support from his friends.  What began as a simple post ended up becoming something bigger as it garnered more and more attention, friends and strangers ended up contributing money to help Abrar produce more such face shields.  It took just one Instagram post for Abrar to collect two lakh rupees within 24 hours. Abrar has raised 3 lakh rupees so far which is roughly enough to produce 30,000 masks.

Abrar and a group of friends then came together to fine tune the design and with constant feedback from doctors, they were finally able to come up with a product that can be used by medical professionals.  However, increasing production comes with its own set of problems as it severely restricts logistics and manpower mobility due to the lockdown set in place. Abrar is however hopeful that he could obtain official passes which would let manpower to venture outside.

Abrar believes that public health care units are the highest priority when it comes to delivering his face shields.  The product received positive feedback and a lot of corporate companies working on essential services have contacted Abrar to buy the product for their on ground and field employees.  Abrar sells the product to corporates at double the cost of raw materials and the profit will be used to make more products to be given away for free to public healthcare units. Abrar wants to connect with representatives from each state to teach them how to make the face shield themselves and cater to their local markets and Bombay is already on board.  All communications happen via WhatsApp.

The team is currently working on two more designs which are costlier and involve higher quality raw materials.  Abrar is an automobile engineer based out of Bengaluru and works for Ather Energy and has a passion for racing bikes.  Abrar believes that more people need to be aware of how to make PPEs at home in order to help people who need it the most.

If you would like to be a part of this movement, you could contribute or get in touch with Abrar on his Instagram handle.  There is also a handy guide to make a face shield by yourself on a link on his profile.

https://www.instagram.com/abrar_bin_ayub/

 

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Tesla Secures Mumbai Facility as Key Step in India Market Entry

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Tesla has ramped up its India expansion by leasing a 24,565 sq ft warehouse at Lodha Logistics Park in Mumbai’s Kurla West. The five-year lease, registered on May 16, 2025, involves a total rent of over ₹24 crore, starting at ₹37.53 lakh per month with a 5% annual escalation. The facility includes two ground-floor units and 20 parking spots, with rent payments commencing June 1, 2025.

This warehouse will function as a key service center and garage for Tesla’s India operations, excluding bodywork and spray painting. The move supports Tesla’s preparations for its official market debut, expected in late 2025 or early 2026.

Tesla’s India rollout includes offices in Pune, flagship showrooms in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Delhi-NCR, and co-working spaces in Mumbai. The new warehouse lease highlights Tesla’s commitment to building a robust infrastructure for sales, service, and delivery of electric vehicles and energy products across India.

While manufacturing plans are not yet confirmed, Tesla is reportedly exploring sites in Maharashtra for a potential assembly unit. The Mumbai warehouse lease marks a significant step in Tesla’s strategy to establish a strong presence in one of the world’s fastest-growing EV markets.

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Razorpay Partners with MeitY Startup Hub to Accelerate Deeptech Innovation in Tier II and III Cities

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MeitY Startup Hub (MSH), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has partnered with fintech leader Razorpay to support the growth of deeptech and emerging tech startups across India, with a special focus on those in Tier II and III cities. Through this collaboration, early-stage startups will gain access to Razorpay’s fintech infrastructure, mentorship, and resources via the Razorpay Rize program.

Startups in areas like AI, blockchain, robotics, and IoT will benefit from streamlined company incorporation support, expert mentorship, product credits, and guidance for applying to global accelerators such as Y Combinator. Selected founders will also join the exclusive Rize Community, connecting with peer networks and attending masterclasses.

MSH CEO Panneerselvam Madanagopal emphasized that this partnership will help founders scale faster by providing vital support in mentorship, capital access, and digital infrastructure. As India’s startup ecosystem surpasses 159,000 DPIIT-recognised startups, this initiative aims to give deeptech entrepreneurs the tools and networks needed to innovate for India and expand globally.

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PixelSky Capital Unveils INR 400 Crore Secondaries Fund

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Bengaluru-based investment bank IndigoEdge, in partnership with entrepreneur Hitesh Ahuja, has launched PixelSky Capital, a secondaries fund targeting INR 400 crore. The fund will invest in eight late-stage tech and consumer companies expected to go public within three to four years, with cheque sizes of INR 40–50 crore each. PixelSky has already invested in beauty retailer Purplle and aims to close a second deal by June 2025.

 

The fund focuses on secondary transactions, allowing existing shareholders to sell stakes to new investors, providing liquidity ahead of IPOs. Founders have committed INR 10–15 crore, with additional capital coming from domestic family offices and startup founders. Final close is expected by March 2026.

 

Led by Hitesh Ahuja, who sold his foodtech startup Yumlane in 2023, and IndigoEdge cofounder Zerin Rahiman, PixelSky marks IndigoEdge’s expansion from advisory and proprietary investments into fund management. The firm has facilitated over 150 transactions worth around $3 billion and invested INR 25–30 crore as a limited partner in multiple VC funds. PixelSky is currently evaluating about 20 companies before finalizing its portfolio

 

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