Vimano Secures INR 25 Crore in Seed Round Led by Ankur Capital The fresh capital will help Vimano move forward with pilot projects in collaboration with partners across the energy sector. It will also support hiring efforts and the establishment of scalable manufacturing capabilities for its proprietary membranes
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Nanotechnology startup Vimano has raised INR 25 crore in a seed funding round led by early-stage venture capital firm Ankur Capital. The funding marks the first investment from Ankur Capital's recently launched third fund and will be used to support Vimano's ongoing efforts to develop membrane technology aimed at enabling large-scale energy transition solutions.
Co-founded in 2019 by materials scientists Murari Ramkumar and Dr. Nagesh Kini, Vimano is developing ion-conductive membranes designed to improve the efficiency and lower the cost of key energy technologies such as redox flow batteries, electrolyzers for green hydrogen production, and PEM fuel cells. The company's membrane platform is the result of five years of research focused on improving conductivity and performance while maintaining efficiency, reducing crossover, and extending lifespan.
The fresh capital will help Vimano move forward with pilot projects in collaboration with partners across the energy sector. It will also support hiring efforts and the establishment of scalable manufacturing capabilities for its proprietary membranes.
"At Vimano, we believe that membrane electrolytes are the unsung heroes of the energy transition," said Ramkumar. "Over the past five years, we have worked relentlessly to develop a platform that can significantly improve efficiency and reduce costs for long-duration energy storage and green hydrogen production. This investment will enable us to accelerate our commercialization efforts and bring our high-performance membranes to market at scale. We're thrilled to have Ankur Capital backing us as we take the next big leap," he added.
Ritu Verma, Managing Partner at Ankur Capital, said the investment aligns with the fund's goal of backing science-driven solutions to pressing challenges. "We are excited to partner with Vimano as they hit a crucial inflection point. Their groundbreaking work in nanotechnology aligns perfectly with our commitment to backing deep science innovations that tackle pressing global issues like the energy transition. We believe Vimano's membranes can reshape how energy is stored across multiple formats — with green hydrogen alone projected to grow nearly 10X to over USD 60B by 2030."
