Oorja Energy is a Bengaluru-based startup that has changed the game in this new world of engineering and renewable energy. With a blend of physics-based modeling and machine learning, the company unlocks new efficiencies and pushes boundaries into predictive analysis. In less than three years since its founding in 2022, Oorja has earned a global client base spanning India, the United States, and Europe, attesting to its transformative potential.
With a focus on delivering next-generation tools for engineering analytics, Oorja is targeting a $15 billion global market. The company’s initial focus is the booming electric vehicle (EV) sector, where predictive analytics plays a crucial role in enhancing battery design and mitigating risks, such as thermal runaway.
The Innovators Driving Oorja
Oorja Energy was founded by Vineet Dravid, Prajakta Sabnis, and Prashant Kumar Srivastava. Dravid spent over two decades in the scientific computing industry and sees his vision for Oorja as being the “Google for engineering analytics.” Such an ambition is based on his vast experience in CAE and his belief in harnessing the power of physics through the convergence with data science.
“Every engineering challenge starts with understanding what the underlying physics is. Adding machine learning on top of our physics-based modelling makes predictions go faster, cheaper, and sharper,” Dravid explains.
Oorja science
Physics-based modeling of real-world problems is done with the application of principles such as thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and material mechanics. These models play a crucial role in designing from rockets to diapers, smartphones to solar panels. Oorja takes it up a notch with the infusion of machine learning in the process.
Machine learning improves these models by processing large datasets, identifying patterns, and improving predictions over time. This dual approach makes Oorja’s tools adaptable and precise. For instance, in the EV industry, Oorja’s models can predict how batteries will behave under extreme conditions, helping manufacturers optimize designs and reduce risks.
Focus on EV Batteries
The design and performance of EV batteries, which are priced at as much as 50% of an electric vehicle, make it crucial. The predictive analytics tools from Oorja address major concerns such as the following:
Prevention of thermal runaway in battery systems.
Increased energy density: Optimize designs to store more energy in a smaller footprint.
Improving predictions for the lifecycle: Help manufacturers extend the battery life while cutting down on the cost.
Dravid shares that Oorja’s customers include major OEMs across India, the US, and Europe, working in diverse sectors like four-wheelers, buses, trucks, and off-road equipment. While confidentiality agreements prevent naming clients, the startup’s ability to secure partnerships with industry leaders is a testament to its credibility.
Backed by Big Investors
Oorja Energy secured $1.5 million seed funding in September 2023 from well-known investors including Micelio Technology Fund, Axilor Ventures, Java Capital, and Anicut Ventures.
“Engineering design is becoming more complex and time-consuming with a tendency toward longer release cycles,” said Alok Chauhan, Principal at Micelio Technology Fund. “Oorja’s product is impactful with a tremendous opportunity to be a category leader across the world.
The company currently employs 20 engineers and continues to perfect the software so that it is more user-friendly. Clients can download the app and integrate their own code seamlessly. It will also produce a low-code interface in its next updates, allowing users to tailor the platform according to their needs.
Global Reach and Future Prospects
Having Oorja Energy presence in three continents is its scalability and applicability across different markets. Here, in India, the firm has optimized the solar farms, making them as predictable as the weather. It has enhanced tools for wind turbine performance in Europe. In the US, it has analytics in energy storage to help businesses balance peak demand through cost efficiency.
In short, Oorja’s solutions are paving the way for the quick development of fast, cheap, and reliable products that industries might require to face engineering problems that can be tough and complex in nature.
Market: CAE software market, $15 Billion, with plenty of scope as companies move into the digital domain. Oorja is bridging the gap of physics-based modeling with the integration of machine learning, redrawing the engineering analytics landscape.
A stepping stone is what the company immediately focuses on – EV batteries. In the near future, Oorja will be reaching out to other industries like aerospace, consumer electronics, and industrial equipment to spread its influence into global engineering challenges.
A Future Vision
Oorja Energy is more than just a startup; for sure it’s a glimpse into the future of engineering. By seamlessly integrating physics and data science, the company is transforming things like, how problems are created and solved, making the process faster, smarter, and more efficient.
For the industries facing the challenges of the 21st century, Oorja is not just a tool but a partner in innovation. And as its solutions become more sophisticated and accessible, the startup is poised to leave a lasting mark on the global engineering landscape.
