In India, the technology landscape is evolving rapidly. A new generation of founders is focused not just on incremental improvements, but on solving core engineering challenges. One such entrepreneur is Vignesh Manimaran, who is on a mission to transform how electric motors are designed, built, and deployed across industries.

Vignesh founded Torus Motion in 2019 alongside his co-founders Vibhakar and Abbhi Vignesh after recognizing a critical gap in the motion technology space. Electric motors are at the heart of nearly every industrial and mobility system, yet their design has remained largely unchanged for decades. In India, many of these motors are either imported or based on outdated architectures, thus being heavy, bulky, less efficient and prone to frequent failure and maintanence..

Reflecting on this realization, Vignesh shared that the team believed in developing highly efficient motors domestically, which could fundamentally reshape motion systems across industries.

Identifying the Gap in Electric Motion

The founding vision behind Torus Motion was rooted in a clear market need. India lacked efficient, locally-developed motors that could operate across diverse power ranges. As a result, companies often had to rely on expensive imports or suboptimal legacy systems.

Seeing this as an opportunity, the team began building a new platform centered around axial flux motor architecture combined with intelligent controllers. Their ambition extended beyond manufacturing standalone motors; they aimed to develop adaptable motion systems that could serve multiple sectors.

From Concept to Company

The journey from concept to commercialization was deeply engineering-led. The early phase focused on intensive research and prototyping to validate feasibility. Once proof of concept was established, the founders built a dedicated engineering team, secured early funding, and aligned their roadmap with real-world industrial needs.

Engaging directly with equipment manufacturers played a crucial role in ensuring their products were practical and market-ready.

Navigating Deeptech Challenges

Building in the hardware deeptech space comes with significant challenges, long development cycles, high capital requirements, and the need for technical credibility.

Vignesh and his team emphasized that earning customer trust was one of the biggest hurdles, particularly when introducing a new motor architecture developed in India.

Instead of relying on promises, the company demonstrated capability through testing, certifications, and pilot deployments.

Backed by Technology Depth

The company has raised over $470K in seed funding, a strong signal of investor confidence in India’s deeptech potential.

Investors were drawn not just to an idea, but to a validated technology platform with clear applications across electric vehicles, agriculture, and industrial systems.

The fundraising journey also shaped the leadership mindset within the company. Vignesh noted that it reinforced the importance of measurable progress and disciplined capital allocation.

From Lab to Market

With fresh capital, Torus Motion transitioned from prototype to product. The team developed multiple motor and controller variants, secured certifications, and began working closely with industry partners.

Today, the company is building not just a product, but a scalable motion platform powered by axial flux architecture.

Solving Real-World Challenges

Improving motion efficiency has far-reaching implications from reducing energy consumption and emissions to enhancing productivity.

Torus Motion aims to accelerate electrification in sectors still dependent on inefficient legacy systems. Their long-term goal is to make advanced motion technology accessible, scalable, and globally competitive.

The Road Ahead

Looking ahead, the company is focused on product scaling, industry partnerships, and expansion into international markets where demand for high-efficiency motors continues to grow.

At the same time, continued investment in next-generation motor and controller technologies remains central to their ambition of building a globally relevant motion platform from India.

Advice for Deeptech Founders

For aspiring deeptech entrepreneurs, Vignesh offers grounded advice: success in this space demands patience, technical depth, and financial discipline.

He believes founders should focus on solving meaningful engineering problems with global relevance noting that India today is ready to support such innovation.

As the country accelerates toward electrification and energy efficiency, companies like Torus Motion are not just building products, they are laying the foundation for the future of electric motion.

Interview Conducted by : Arushi Agarwal