Wankel Energy at IIT-M raises $1 million pre-seed funding

CHENNAI: Wankel Energy Systems, a deep-tech start-up incubated at IIT Madras, has raised $1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Shastra VC, with participation from strategic angel investors.

The company, which holds three granted US and Indian patents and over 20 innovations protected as trade secrets, is developing a technology platform aimed at capturing lost potential energy in pressure-reducing valves (PRVs).

With this funding, the start-up plans to expand globally and targets the deployment of more than 1,000 units over the next decade.

In India, over 45,000 industrial steam boilers generate more than 1.26 billion tonnes of steam annually for sectors including food, dairy, textiles, paper, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Much of this passes through PRVs, which regulate flow but dissipate significant potential energy, known as exergy. This loss can amount to 160 kW of instantaneous power/valve, valued at nearly Rs 66,000 crore annually.

Wankel Energy’s Phoenix Expander device converts wasted steam pressure into electricity without altering existing plant infrastructure. Each unit offers a payback period of 6-24 months and can generate annual savings of up to Rs 50 lakh/valve, while reducing about 180 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year.

Professor Satyanarayanan Seshadri, co-founder and advisor, said, “The technology enables industries to convert wasted pressure into reliable power.” Founding Partner of Shastra VC, Ashis Nayak, said: “Wankel has applied advanced engineering to address energy inefficiencies with a scalable model.”

The start-up plans to deploy six or more units across sectors soon, beginning in Tamil Nadu before scaling to other regions. Its long-term vision includes expanding into refrigerants, ammonia, hydrogen, and air systems, along with developing next-generation compact compressors.