The 12 months was 1998.
Sanandan (Sandy) Sudhir had landed his first job at GE Healthcare in Bengaluru as a designer. A bachelor at the moment, he was dwelling in a single-room residence and immersed himself in work. However he most popular home-cooked meals, so he purchased a microwave oven to make some fast meals for himself.
“As I had lengthy working days, I believed cooking in a microwave oven would save me time and area. I didn’t need to arrange a whole kitchen. I attempted utilizing the oven to cook dinner for round six months, but it surely was very time-consuming,” tells Sanandan to The Higher India.
Realising that this was not sustainable in the long term, the designer was compelled to arrange a small kitchen. Nonetheless, he wasn’t proud of the standard of the meals when he used the range.
“I felt that the standard of the meals deteriorated when cooked on the range. The greens bought overcooked, and furthermore, there was a necessity so as to add water to cook dinner them. In order that they misplaced quantity too. However a microwave oven retained the color, texture, quantity, and most significantly, the vitamins of greens,” says the designer.
Due to this fact, he began utilizing each the microwave oven in addition to the range to cook dinner.
This fashion, he was in a position to marry the crunch of the microwave-cooked greens with the flavour and caramelisation from the range. It was the perfect of each worlds.
He then began in search of a product that mixed the makes use of of each microwave and range/induction. “To my shock, there was no such product. I even checked out patents internationally, however was unable to search out something,” says Sananadan.
This discovery led him to innovate ‘On2Cook’, which 51-year-old Sanandan says combines flames, induction, and microwaves.
He says, “On2Cook works on the combination-cooking know-how with induction or flame performing on the meals from outdoors and microwaves from inside. The product can save 70 per cent time and 50 per cent vitality. The cooked meals retains water-soluble vitamins whereas preserving color, texture and consistency. After being granted patents throughout India, US and UK, our invention stands to create a brand new product class within the kitchen area.”
Because the early 2000s, Sanandan knew that he needed to develop a product that might mix the cooking know-how of microwaves with induction or flame.
And now, virtually 20 years later, his startup — On2Cook India Pvt Ltd — has secured seed funding of Rs 17 crore at a Rs 100 crore valuation. The funding spherical was led by angel investor Dr Mayur Desai, who infused the primary tranche of Rs 16 crore for 16 per cent fairness. Investor Nirbhay Gandhi invested Rs 1 crore for 1 per cent fairness.
The trail to this, nevertheless, was removed from clean.
Securing a patent for the know-how
There have been points in prototype growth, a scarcity of perception by others, and a scarcity of funds. However such was Sanandan’s perception that he refused to let go of his dream, and invested virtually Rs 4.5 crore of his personal cash prior to now 10 years in direction of the event of On2Cook.
“I first requested the oldsters at GE Home equipment to consider growing such a product. I pushed them for nearly six months, however to no avail. I then give up GE in 2007 and joined an American startup that works on artistic product design and helps shoppers to develop their merchandise by making them market-ready. I believed that my thought would additionally get developed. Nonetheless, I didn’t get the time wanted to work on my product,” says Sanandan.
He give up this firm too and went to IIM-Ahmedabad of their incubators programme.
“At the moment, Flipkart, Ola, Uber, and Amazon have been doing very properly. I had a mentor who inspired me to develop an utility for meals. I used to be there for six months however my coronary heart wasn’t into it. So I launched my very own firm known as Invent India in 2011. We helped others develop their merchandise from idea to manufacturing,” says the entrepreneur.
His thought was to study the nuances of product growth in order that he might apply the identical to his dream challenge.
Whereas engaged on different’s merchandise, he utilized for a US patent for his On2Cook product someday in 2010-11. And the turning level in his life got here in 2016 when he obtained the primary US patent for his creation.
“After years of dreaming, the patent actually vindicated my perception. So many individuals discouraged me saying that such a product wouldn’t work. However this patent confirmed me that we had one thing good at hand,” says Sanandan.
Last product after 14 prototypes
“How ‘On2Cook’ works is that there’s an induction/flame within the backside and microwave by way of the lid. So whereas your masalas will cook dinner within the backside, you possibly can add the greens/rooster on high, which can get cooked by way of the lid. This reduces your time and offers the perfect of each worlds,” says Sanandan.
He says that one can cook dinner rice or rooster in seven minutes, bake a cake in 4 minutes, and a pizza in 4 minutes.
On2Cook will begin manufacturing the product quickly and gross sales are anticipated to begin in 2023. Nonetheless, Sanandan says that growing a prototype could be very difficult in India.
“I’ve put each penny of my financial savings and time into this. That is the 14th technology prototype of the product. I’ve labored for over 10 years on this product. The Indian ecosystem isn’t very conducive to prototyping and product growth. Established corporations usually are not keen to allow us to develop prototypes on their machines. Due to this fact, we now have to ship our designs to China, Malaysia, or Thailand to get the components made,” says the entrepreneur.
He says, “After getting the components from overseas, which takes 20-25 days, we do the meeting in India. This actually delays the method. Moreover, if we have to order extra components, we now have to attend one other month for a similar. It prices additional to get the components made in different international locations. COVID added to our woes, as shipments have been caught for 3 months.”
Sanandan’s conviction lastly paid off.
Investor Shaival Desai from the Desai Household Workplace says, “There hasn’t been a technological shift within the cooking home equipment area within the post-industrial world for many years. On2Cook brings cooking into the twenty first century. We’re completely happy to affix forces with Sanandan in his try to usher in a landmark transition in an business, and even within the life-style of everybody.”
At present, Sanandan is on the Hospitality and Meals Service Occasion — GulfHost 2022 — at World Commerce Centre, Dubai. He says that they’ve secured a number of orders for the product already.
Edited by Pranita Bhat