Bengaluru startup helping urban households manage wet waste by merging deep tech with eco-conscious design

In today’s fast-paced world, though people are talking about sustainability and eco-friendliness, very few are actually taking any action toward maintaining that.

In an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia, Mrudul Mudotholy shared how he and his partners founded a startup to merge deep-tech innovation with eco-conscious design, transforming everyday tasks into meaningful environmental impact.

A startup that redefines homeliving with AI

Founded in Bengaluru in July 2024, Mankomb Technologies Private Limited was launched by Mrudul Mudotholy, Dinesh Babu Sukumar, and Jawahar Arumugam to redefine home living through advanced AI-powered appliances, merging cutting-edge deeptech with sustainability.

The term "Mankomb" is derived from the Dravidian term "Manga Kombu," which translates to "stem of the mango". As the mango stem plays a crucial role in preserving the fruit's freshness, the name symbolises the founders’ commitment to sustainability and longevity. 

“We are committed to empowering homes to manage wet waste effortlessly, contributing to a greener future,” Mrudul said. “Proudly Made in India, Mankomb stands at the forefront of smart living, offering exceptional quality and innovation for those who value the best in modern home technology,” he added.

The Bengaluru-based deep tech startup is redefining home living through advanced AI-powered appliances, merging cutting-edge deep tech with sustainability.

“Our innovative solutions are designed to enhance convenience, efficiency, and eco-friendliness, catering to the discerning needs of the modern household,” Mrudul Mudotholy told Startup Pedia. “Mankomb is a deep tech, AI-native company on a mission to make sustainability effortless, accessible, and fun.”

As claimed by the startup co-founder, Mankomb is driven by a vision of a world where all forms of energy that enter the household - sunlight, water, and nutrients are conserved, used more efficiently, and recycled. 

“We have imagined a world where sustainability is decentralised and democratised, and nothing goes to waste or ends up in a landfill,” shared Mrudul. “As India faces increasing waste and environmental challenges, Mankomb offers more than a product, it offers a mindset shift.”

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Making sustainability effortless, accessible and fun

Sustainable living often feels like a chore and is still perceived as an inconvenient add‑on. Mankomb wants to make eco‑friendly choices more mainstream by embedding real‑time AI vision, sensors and automation directly into everyday kitchen hardware.

“Our mission is to make sustainability effortless, accessible and fun,” said Mrudul. “With Mankomb, we envision a world where sustainability is decentralised and democratised and each household is empowered to ensure that all forms of energy that enter the home are conserved, used more efficiently and recycled,” the CEO of the Bengaluru-based deep tech startup remarked to Startup Pedia.

Can you imagine homes that leave nothing to waste - where every drop of water, every nutrient, even sunlight, is captured and repurposed?

“Ahead of us lies a future of solar‑integrated appliances, advanced water‑management systems, and home technology that’s engineered to last,” claimed Mrudul. 

Products and appliances are increasingly planned to become obsolete as soon as the warranty expires or the next model is released. Once celebrated for bringing people together, technology now often separates us from each other, taking time away from us. We feel like this is not sustainable anymore.

“At Mankomb, we strongly believe that technology should 'make time for you' to live a better quality of life at home, with those that you love,” the Bengaluru entrepreneur stated to Startup Pedia.

The Mankomb founders

Mrudul Mudotholy is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with 15 + years in deep‑tech, mobility and industrial AI with Bosch Group and Myelin Foundry. An alumnus of IIM Kozhikode and UVCE, Bengaluru, he attained multiple patents and is the winner of the Sir M. Visvesvaraya Centenary Award.

Dinesh Babu Sukumar is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) with 14 + years of pan‑India/GCC/UK experience shaping go‑to‑market playbooks for biotech and deep‑tech brands. He is an ex‑Senior Product Marketing Manager at Myelin Foundry, who previously founded Aidplus Medical. He is an alumnus of the University of East London and the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT). ​

Jawahar Arumugam is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) with 20 + years leading R&D and solution‑architecture teams. He is a former CTO at SHARP Software India and Chief Solutions Architect at Myelin Foundry with deep domain knowledge in IoT, AI and consumer‑electronics system design. He is an alumnus of IIT Madras, Anna University and Thiagarajar College of Engineering.

Service area

Currently based out of HSR Layout in Bangalore, the startup’s initial market targets upscale early adopters, tech-savvy and sustainability-driven families, particularly in Bangalore's villa communities and apartment complexes, where home comfort is a very high priority.

The firm’s roadmap involves exporting to markets that value sustainable luxury (MEA, SE‑Asia, EU).

What is Chewie?

Chewie is a home appliance that enables circularity and sustainability right from the home. It is an AI-powered wet waste management appliance that effortlessly turns kitchen waste into rich, regenerated soil.

“We are empowering individual households to take matters into their own hands,”  Mrudul told Startup Pedia. “Chewie is our flagship product.”

Leveraging cutting-edge AI, computer vision, and sensor automation, Chewie delivers sustainability wrapped in convenience and luxury, perfect for today's smart and sophisticated homes.

“Chewie goes beyond waste management - it's a statement of environmental responsibility, empowering families and inspiring children to embrace responsibility and a sustainable way of living,” the deep tech co-founder shared.

Features of Chewie

• Truly Hands-Free: Simply fill it & forget it. Auto-opening lid, self-cleaning funnel & app notifications; collection tray stores ~1 month’s output.

• AI‑native automation: On‑device computer vision classifies waste in real time, adds the appropriate additives for customised digestion. If there’s anything inorganic or non-compostable, the system will alert the user.

• Rapid Processing: Converts food waste into nutrient-rich “regen soil” in 8 to 40 hours - far faster than traditional composters.

• Odourless & Quiet: Advanced carbon filtration, active-air circulation, <45 dBA operation.

• Self-Cleaning Cycle: A sprayer rinses the funnel after each use, preventing odour and any mess.

• Compact luxury design: Sleek form factor, counter‑height design crafted for high‑end modular kitchens.

• App Notifications: Users get updates on cycle progress and reminders.

• IP moat: Patent-pending bio‑conversion process & adaptive‐enzyme additive system.

Investments

Entirely founder‑bootstrapped; founders have collectively invested personal savings and sweat equity while engaging angel investors for the forthcoming pre-seed round.

Despite being unfunded, the team overcame supply‑chain pivots and logistics hurdles, logging 1000+ hours of prototyping and AI training to refine Chewie’s computer‑vision and digestion processes, demonstrating true deeptech grit.

Mankomb is now a small team with 7 full‑time specialists (mechanical design, embedded hardware, growth marketing), 3 domain advisors and a contract manufacturing partner.

Pre‑revenue (2025) with pilot units in validation; first commercial shipments scheduled Q3 FY 25‑26.

Pricing strategy for products and services

Direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) with limited pre-booking is opening soon. And recurring revenue from consumables (filters, additives) and a future subscription‑based maintenance service.

 Goals

• Pre‑bookings open for Chewie Max on May 30, 2025, at 11 AM.

• Convert at least 1,00,000 Bengaluru households to effortless wet‑waste recycling within 24 months of launch.

• Next‑gen models for high‑rise apartments and global markets.

• Achieve carbon‑offset accreditation, enabling customers to claim verifiable household CO₂ reductions.

Wet waste, in particular, is inherently unpleasant to deal with - something people just want to get rid of, something best discarded quickly and forgotten, out of sight and out of mind.

“After a meal, it’s easy to dump the scraps and assume it’s no longer your concern,” shared Mrudul. “That mindset has been a major barrier in India. However, as climate change intensified and landfills overflowed, people are starting to ask: ‘How can I make a difference?’”

With organic matter comprising over 50-60% of India's waste, the resulting impact is substantial: overflowing landfills attract pests, harmful leachate contaminates groundwater, and incineration processes pollute the air we breathe.

“If each household took charge of its wet waste, we'd significantly ease the strain on public infrastructure while elevating the quality of everyday life,” the CEO claimed. In a way, today’s waste management solutions often feel admirable yet incremental, like bicycles in an automotive age - admirable but slow,” he added. 

Mankomb aspires to be the electric vehicles of sustainability – fast, smart, and desirable. The Bengaluru-based startup wants to change the perception that going green means compromising comfort.

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