Manufacturing businesses often operate across disconnected systems, departments, and workflows. Mushin Technologies, founded by Rachit Srivastava and Amman Batra, is working to solve that fragmentation by creating software that unifies factory operations and helps businesses make faster, better-informed decisions. The company serves industries including automotive, aerospace, and pharmaceuticals, with customers such as Maruti, Honda, Volkswagen, JCB, and aerospace companies.
From Industry Experience to Entrepreneurship
Rachit Srivastava and Amman Batra came from different professional backgrounds but shared a belief that manufacturing needed better technology. Rachit’s early experience at Philips exposed him to the corporate world and eventually made him question whether a conventional career was the path he wanted to follow. His passion for technology and cars, combined with Amman’s extensive experience in the automotive and factory environment, led them to explore a business opportunity together. Their goal was to build software capable of bringing together the complex workflows that run a factory.
Creating a Factory Brain
Mushin Technologies’ core product is designed to unify data and workflows across manufacturing operations. Instead of allowing information to remain scattered across departments and systems, the platform connects it to support decision-making, risk management, and operational efficiency. The founders describe this as building a “factory brain” , a central intelligence layer that helps factories understand what is happening across their operations and respond more effectively. The platform is designed for complex industries where production, quality, maintenance, supply chain, and compliance must work together.
The Meaning Behind Mushin
The name Mushin Technologies comes from the Japanese martial arts concept of “mushin,” often described as a state of no mind, a condition of clarity, focus, and freedom from unnecessary distractions. The founders chose the name because it reflects their vision for factory operations. A factory should not be slowed down by disconnected data, confusion, or manual processes. Instead, it should operate with clarity, focus, and efficiency. For Mushin Technologies, the name represents the idea of creating a clear and intelligent operating system for factories.
Starting with ₹5 Lakh
The company began with an initial investment of approximately ₹5 lakh, contributed from Rachit’s personal savings and those of his elder cousin, Amman Batra. The founders followed a highly frugal approach during the early years. They relied on interns, small projects, and their own technical skills while working to build and validate the core product. There were periods when the founders worked without salaries. The early priority was not aggressive marketing or large-scale spending, but proving that the product could solve real manufacturing problems.
Three Years Without Revenue
One of the biggest challenges was that Mushin Technologies operated without revenue for the first three years. Building a B2B enterprise software product required extensive testing, pilot projects, and customer validation before the market was ready to pay for it. The founders persisted by speaking directly with customers, understanding factory requirements, and testing the product in real operating environments. Amman’s experience in the automotive sector played a major role in business development and sales. His understanding of factories helped the team communicate with customers and identify the operational problems that mattered most.
Customer Validation Before Scale
The company’s approach has always been customer-led. Rather than building in isolation, the founders focused on speaking with manufacturing teams and testing solutions through pilot projects. They believe a product does not need to be perfect before it reaches the market. However, it must be credible enough to demonstrate value. Once customer feedback is received, the product can be improved through continuous updates. This approach helped Mushin Technologies build trust in a sector where purchasing decisions often involve multiple stakeholders and long sales cycles.
Growing Through Referrals
Mushin Technologies has relied largely on word-of-mouth, referrals, and the credibility of its product rather than large marketing campaigns. The company operates in a specialised niche with limited direct competition, but enterprise sales remain challenging. Manufacturing companies require confidence that a software platform will work reliably across complex operations. For the founders, every successful pilot and customer deployment became an opportunity to build credibility and generate further conversations.
Complementary Founders
The relationship between Rachit and Amman has been central to Mushin Technologies’ journey. Their skills complement one another: Rachit brings a technology and product perspective, while Amman contributes industry knowledge, factory experience, and business development capabilities. Both founders emphasise the importance of mutual respect, trust, and the ability to disagree constructively. They believe a strong co-founder relationship is essential, particularly during difficult periods when revenue is uncertain and the product is still evolving.
The Opportunity in Indian Manufacturing
The founders see significant potential in India’s manufacturing sector. As companies invest in automation, supply-chain improvements, and digital transformation, there is growing demand for systems that connect operations and enable better decisions. However, they also identify challenges, including limited access to specialised talent and the difficulty technology companies face while raising capital in India. They believe investors and businesses need to take more calculated risks on research and development, particularly in deep-tech and industrial software.
A Global Vision
Rachit and Amman want Mushin Technologies to become a globally recognised software brand for factory operations, comparable in ambition to companies such as SAP or Microsoft. Their long-term goal is to create a trusted platform that can compete with established global players while helping factories operate more intelligently and efficiently. For the founders, the vision extends beyond building a successful company. They want to create deep-tech products with meaningful global impact and demonstrate that globally relevant industrial software can be built from India.
Mushin Technologies’ journey is a story of patience, frugality, customer validation, and persistence all focused on one ambitious idea: giving every factory a brain of its own.
Interview By : Sejal Thakur
