In an era wherein the startup founders bask in glory for cracking computer code, building apps, or pitching SaaS, another type of entrepreneur is quietly solving a more visceral problem: saving lives on factory floors.
Kausthub Kaundinya, CEO and co-founder of Hyderabad-based Jarsh Safety, doesn’t fit the conventional startup poster. He’s not hawking the next convenience economy platform. Instead, he’s reinventing the hard hat, and, in the process, rethinking what safety means for India’s massive industrial workforce.
Founded in 2017 and pivoted post-pandemic to industrial deep-tech, Jarsh Safety is conceptualizing a whole new category of AI- enabled smart PPE (personal protective equipment) for frontline workers who are exposed daily to heat, voltage, heights, and hazardous conditions. In simpler words, for the electrical engineers in power plants or the miners deep underground, it is wearable tech!
India’s blue-collar workers, particularly those in the road and infrastructure sectors, often find themselves in perilous working conditions that are unimaginable in other parts of the world. From 2015 to 2023, more than 48,000 Industrial workers tragically lost their lives due to heat exposure, falls, or electrocution. Meanwhile, road crews are frequently seen working just inches away from fast-moving traffic, often lacking even the most basic safety gear or hydration. “We’ve built smart cities, but safety was left out of the equation,” remarks Anjali Menon, Director at Urban Livelihoods Forum. Disturbing videos of workers without helmets and scaffolders lacking harnesses have sparked growing public concern, yet enforcement of safety regulations remains inconsistent. Jarsh’s tech-focused approach aims to shift the narrative around safety, treating it as a key area for innovation rather than just a regulatory obligation. As founder Kausthub Kaundinya puts it: “In most jobs, stress is a measurable factor. For an Industrial worker, it’s a matter of life and death. That needs to change.”
Jarsh’s flagship product, the ActivCooling Helmet, is a game-changer in the world of safety gear. It’s the first air-conditioned helmet you can buy, designed to cool down to a chilly -15°C or warm up to a cozy +10°C, depending on the conditions. This isn’t just a flashy gimmick; it’s a crucial tool for workers in factories where summer heat can soar past 50°C. Thanks to this innovation, over 30,000 workers have been kept safe so far.
But Kaundinya didn’t stop there. Jarsh’s smart safety suite goes beyond just thermal protection. It features SmartVolt, a wearable voltage detector that doesn’t require contact; Kavach, a connected harness that detects falls and sends live alerts; and WorkAlive, an AI-driven monitoring system that allows supervisors to see a worker’s perspective in real time, enabling them to step in before accidents happen.
“Our thesis,” Kaundinya explains, an IIM Ahmedabad graduate and a proud member of Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, “is that the issue isn’t the absence of safety protocols it’s that the gear we have is outdated. We’re transforming personal protective equipment into a cutting-edge sensor network.”
And the market is responding. From ₹25 lakh in FY23, Jarsh shot up to ₹4.5 crore in FY24, and is now on track for ₹20 crore in FY25, a 3x growth trajectory year-on-year. Their client list reads like a Who’s Who of industrial India, Maruti Suzuki, Hindustan Zinc, Adani, and JSW, among others.
The startup also made headlines when all four Sharks vied for a stake on Shark Tank India Season 4. Kaundinya and his co-founders ultimately shook hands with Aman Gupta (boAt) for ₹50 lakh in exchange for 1.5% equity, a move that has since unlocked new retail and branding expertise.
The startup is looking at international markets after raising ₹4 crore in pre-Series A from investors, including Mumbai Angels and QROPS. A Sharjah, UAE-based subsidiary is in the pipeline, aimed at industrial clients in the Middle East and Africa. Back home, a “Safety-as-a-Service” solution is currently being tested, which uses IoT devices and predictive analytics to stop accidents before they even happen.
Jarsh’s vision stretches well beyond just helmets and harnesses. With over 10 patents already granted and plans for more than 50 smart safety products by 2030, they’re playing the long game. Their goal? To position India not only as a manufacturing powerhouse but also as a leader in worker-first innovation. This is a timely message to the global safety industry, which has often been quite traditional and slow to embrace digital advancements.
Perhaps what makes Kaundinya’s story so compelling is the simplicity of the idea: that every worker deserves dignity, protection, and a shot at coming home safe. In a startup world chasing DAUs and funding rounds, Jarsh is chasing something older and arguably more vital, peace of mind in dangerous places.
After all, not all revolutions wear hoodies. Some wear helmets.
