Surat Startup Launches Mini-edge Computers, Promising To Be "Better Than International Brands.”

Very few people can confidently say that a quote changed their life or gave it a new direction.

Akshar Vastarpara from Surat is one of those people. He is a tech entrepreneur building the future of computers and computing systems.

Alan Kay’s quote, "If you really want to build great software, you should build your hardware too,” inspired Akshar to delve into the hardware field after he initially developed software.

In just three years, he built Vicharak, an electronic hardware startup that builds new computers and computing systems that are faster and more efficient than the current offerings. 

Based in Surat, the startup has a team of 55 engineers who share a futuristic vision for computers and electronics as a whole.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

After graduating in software engineering from the Sarvajanik College of Engineering & Technology, he chose the unconventional path of not taking up a job. His interest in software designing and development pulled him into entrepreneurship in 2021.

“I’ve always been into building things and then understanding the intricacies of how they’re built. Initially, I was interested in software designing but soon grappled with the current limitations of computer architecture. This made me start exploring the hardware electronics field. Alan Kay’s quote was a precursor”, said Akshar, in an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia.

Akshar started his consultancy firm, VEGG, and provided electronics design and related services to global clients.

While the firm was doing well, he came across an idea that later caused the pivot to Vicharak in 2022.

He explains, “While building electronic designs like circuits for my clients, I was neck-deep in the hardware field. I wondered if the current computing systems could be made faster for the end consumer. I would spend days imagining the impact that would have. Eventually, I decided to implement this idea and pivoted to Vicharak, an electronic hardware startup.”

Akshar Vastarpara’s mission was simple: to revolutionize computer hardware by adding speed to it—and do all of it in India.

Most fields, from robotics and Artificial Intelligence to drones and industrial IoT, aim to adopt faster computers. Vicharak started working on taking the lead here.

The tech startup worked on developing a specialized technology with an architecture that provides faster and real-time computing which is coming to a realization by implementing FPGA technology.

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CHALLENGES

Developing hardware in India was a challenge in itself, according to Akshar, the founder of an electronic hardware startup, Vicharak.

He says, “A lot of hardware designing in India is outsourced. We simply do not have enough skilled resources to work on designing intricate layers of hardware and then bringing everything together as a functioning unit.”

Initially, the bootstrapped startup struggled with acquiring engineers. But with dedicated efforts toward hiring and training, Vicharak eventually started building a team of experts.

Since the startup was running on the revenues of Akshar’s previous consultancy firm, funds were a little tight, too. But that didn't stop him, and he continued working.

VICHARAK: THE FUTURE OF COMPUTERS

As a tech startup, Vicharak is building a new kind of computer and computing system that is faster than just regular processor-enabled computers by using FPGAs.

It fulfils the requirement of powerful computing systems for B2B companies operating in the fields of robotics, autonomous vehicles, drones, and AI-powered devices.

Recently, Vicharak built a single-board computer that is more powerful than Raspberry Pi 5.

For the uninitiated, Raspberry Pi is considered a powerful, compact, and versatile single-board computer that is primarily designed for learning, prototyping, and developing projects. The company sells 7 million pieces across the world on an annual basis.

Vicharak’s team of 55 expert engineers and Akshar Vastarpara have built Axon—something that beats Raspberry Pi 5 in terms of speed and power! This highlights the startup’s vision of innovating and manufacturing international-standard hardware in the country.

Axon, according to Akshar, is “the next generation of AI edge computing in single-board computers.”

Its key specifications include:

1. Powered with the Octa-Core Rockchip RK3588.

2. Connects seamlessly with robust networking interfaces.

3. Offers viewing in 8k @ 60 FPS.

4. CPU with quad-core ARM Cortex-A76 processor and quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 processor

5. GPU, the ARM Mali-G610 MP4 (up to 1GHz clock speed), for superior graphics

6. 6 TOP NPUs, where AI potential meets reality.

7. Dual USB 2.0 ports for rapid data transfer at 480Mbps.

Axon has widespread applications in Education, Traffic Management, Home Servers, Automation, AI Development, and Automotive.

Vicharak sold 200 units of Axon in just 2 months and, in a dash, generated a revenue of Rs 25 lakhs. 

In August 2024, it also raised a funding round of Rs 1 crore at a valuation of 100 crores.

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LOOKING AHEAD

Akshar Vastarpara was awarded the YourStory Media Tech30 award for daring to innovate hardware and software that are rivaling internationally recognized products.

Soon, Akshar plans to take Vicharak ahead by providing more modern and fast computing systems to B2B companies. 

The startup plans to enter the desktop space as well and innovate faster systems for laptops and PCs for B2C customers. Eventually, the team will also look into enhancing software solutions.

Akshar signs off by saying, “With Vicharak, I have realized that India is very capable of innovating and designing hardware systems. Building Axon and pitting it as a direct competitor to the popular Raspberry Pi has instilled in me a confidence that we’re really cooking up a revolution here.”

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