Startup Mantra: Taking off towards a cleaner sky

While companies in India are putting their energies and money into electric bikes, rickshaws, cars and buses, a startup in Pune is being audacious. They have developed an initial version of a jet engine that will soon help UAVs, drones, seaplanes and eventually large aircraft fly on electric power. A week ago, they tested the capability of their proprietary electric propulsion system (for jet engines) in Pune. This engine is at Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL-6) under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) framework.

Says Abhijeet Inamdar, co-founder of SiriNor, “The engine prototype ran successfully in the test rig and even surpassed our design intent of 40,000 RPM and 10kgf thrust.” In simple words, it means that SiriNor can now move to the next steps – UAVs, regional aircraft, seaplanes and defence platforms.

The problem it aims to solve

Primarily the aim is to reduce Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Says Abhijeet, “Aviation currently emits over 1 billion tons of CO2 every year. If left unchecked, that number could skyrocket—accounting for more than 20% of total global emissions by 2050, according to the World Economic Forum. With the Paris Agreement urging nations to keep global warming below 2°C, ideally 1.5°C, aviation must be a central player in the world’s de-carbonization journey. There’s no way around it—sustainable aviation isn’t optional. It’s essential.”

According to Abhijeet the aviation industry, despite being the most advanced, has surprisingly seen very little true innovation in decades. Says he, “While the global jet engine market is projected to hit $100 billion by 2030, it is dominated by just four companies who control over 90% of it. In a world driven by innovation, aviation remains one of the last frontiers largely untouched by meaningful disruption.”

“Moreover, India has taken large strides in space and technology, but sadly remains entirely dependent on foreign jet engines for both civilian and defence use. After more than 40 years of development, the indigenous Kaveri engine is still not commercially viable.

The key roadblocks? Mastering combustion chamber technology and accessing exotic super-alloys like nickel-based materials—crucial for withstanding the extreme temperatures of over 1,500 °C inside jet engines. These materials are not just difficult to develop; they’re often tightly controlled in global supply chains, limiting India and many other countries from entering this space.”

In such a scenario, this startup comes like a breath of fresh air in the stagnant aviation skies, holding the dreams of all Indians – to actually play the innovation game. “Despite air travel growing rapidly, sadly it has failed to show any real innovation,” says Abhijeet. And despite the environmental concerns, the Big Four have their hands tied – to profits.

Says Abhijeet, “They have pre-booked orders for the next 15 years for their jet engines which leaves them very little space to focus on building electric jets.”

The beginning

Before SiriNor came into being, Pramod Vaditya, co-founder and chief propulsion engineer, as a student at the Institute of Aeronautical Engineering at Hyderabad, Telangana worked on a project on electric engines. This academic curiosity matured over the years and developed into a groundbreaking design – a fully electric, non-combustion jet engine. He knew that this had the potential to reshape the aviation industry.

Says Pramod, “I had the design that could carry a payload of 20 passengers and fly 4000 km. But I couldn’t do this on my own and needed help to take this forward.” He needed money and the experience of running a business to help lift his electric jet engine off the ground.

For him, building a world-class engine was a mission of purpose, and he wasn’t willing to wait for someone else to do it. In his search for like-minded people, in 2020, Pramod found Abhijeet Inamdar -- a former corporate engineer who had left his job with a dream of his own. As it happened, Abhijeet had quit his job at Equinor to be with his wife Siri, who was terminally ill.

Abhijeet began imagining a world where supersonic, sustainable travel was possible—where long journeys to family could be shortened, and the world made smaller. During the same time Abhijeet and Ivar Aune, who were colleagues at Equinor Ventures had been discussing making a positive impact on the climate with their expertise. Zero emissions travel with innovative electric jet engine became a dream for all of them and the company was started in Norway and India and named “SiriNor” in Abhijeet’s wife’s memory who passed away in 2021. Says Abhijeet, “What Pramod’s electric jet engine could do is to all domestic and international travel free of the noxious Greenhouse gas emissions.”

Money put wings on electric jet engine

But to get to this stage of TRL-6 took more than just an idea. It needed the big push of cash that Abhijeet and Ivar with their experience and network brought in. Says Abhijeet, “Developing this product took us five years that involved a dedicated team of over 20 individuals—including engineers, interns, and industry advisors. To date, we’ve invested over $3 million in the project.

This includes a combination of sweat equity, raised capital, non-dilutive grants, and in-kind contributions from manufacturers, investors, and professionals who believe in our vision. We’ve raised capital from investors—including Shell, Alok Shriram, and a network of experienced angel investors—who bring not just capital but also deep domain expertise and strategic value.

“Our propulsion system is projected to cost at least 30% less than conventional jet engines, while still allowing us to maintain healthy profit margins. While exact figures are proprietary at this stage—due to ongoing discussions with vendors and potential customers—we are confident in our ability to deliver both cost efficiency and strong unit economics.”

Game changer

Jet engines have so far been the domain of the four major companies, GE, Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, and Safran—who control over 90% of the industry. India despite being a rising space power has failed to master combustion chamber technology. Says Pramod, “The big four also control the super alloys supply that is needed to withstand the extremely high temperature of 1500 °C of these combustion jet engines.”

It would seem obvious that these companies that control the jet engine industry with all their money, power and access to metals and technology develop a new technology that is sustainable. “But” as Pramod puts it, “These companies are tied down to billions of dollars worth of pre-orders for the next decade at least. As a result, their focus is largely on delivering these combustion-based jets.” That has left the field wide open to four start-ups like SiriNor the world over. “There is one in Canada, two in the USA and us. But the space is so huge we will need many more such start-ups working on sustainable jet engines to meet the demand.”

Pramod’s engine’s USP is that it does not need super alloys. It can be made easily with alloys of steel and aluminum easily available in India. Says Pramod, “Think of SiriNor’s engine as a jet engine that doesn’t burn fuel. Unlike traditional jet engines that burn fuel to help create thrust, our engine is fully electric. Around the edge of the engine, we’ve placed multiple electric motors, each connected to a small air compressor (in-house design). These compressors push air at high pressure onto a central fan, called a tip turbine, which spins really fast and pushes the air out the back—just like how a regular jet engine works to move a plane forward.”

The future

By the end of this year, SiriNor aims to raise $5Mil in Q2/Q3 2025 that will be deployed towards product development (60%), 30% towards talent retention and key hires and 10% for business development.

They aim to establish an in-house workshop in India dedicated to the assembly and testing of our engines. Says Abhijeet, “We will collaborate with multiple Indian vendors for the contract manufacturing of small and mid-size engines. Following this, we aim to expand internationally by securing contract manufacturing partnerships in the US and EU, while simultaneously growing our customer base globally.”

If all goes as planned, if large commercial jets will fly around the globe without spewing CO2, SiriNor will have made all Indians proud!