Praan is a deeptech climate startup founded in 2017 that builds the world's first filterless outdoor air purification systems for large commercial, semi-open, and industrial spaces.[1][2][4] Its flagship products, MK One (launched 2021) and MKII (launched April 2023), use patented multi-needlepoint ionization technology to capture particulate matter (PM1 to PM10) and carbon dioxide without filters, pulling in polluted air via fans, charging particles, and trapping them in a charged cylinder for automatic release into a collection pocket.[1][2][4] Praan serves industrial clients like Tata Steel, Oberoi Hotels, and Aditya Birla Group, solving urban air pollution—a crisis killing 7 million people annually per WHO—by offering scalable, low-cost, net-zero devices that adapt to weather and recycle pollutants.[1][5][6] With $1.56M raised in seed rounds and plans for a $14.4M Series A, Praan demonstrates strong growth through pilots, manufacturing in India, and trust from marquee investors.[2][4]
Praan was founded in 2017 by Angad Daryani during his sophomore year at Georgia Tech, starting as a solo dorm-room project inspired by the need to rebuild the Earth's atmosphere amid rising climate change and polluted skies.[1][4] What began as a moonshot too early for venture capital grew with over 250 volunteers from Tesla, Apple, SpaceX, and Microsoft, evolving into a global team of scientists and engineers operating from San Francisco and India.[4] Early traction came from proving the filterless concept, setting up Indian manufacturing in Maharashtra (90% local sourcing), and securing seed funding in July 2022 from backers like Climate Angels, The Thiel Foundation, Marginal Revolution, and Autodesk.[1][2][4] Pivotal moments include product launches—MK One in 2021 and MKII with 8X filtration capacity—and pilots with top clients, validating demand before aggressive scaling.[1][2]
Praan's edge lies in its filterless ionization tech, patented across 5 areas like air pollution control and computational fluid dynamics (using Ansys Fluent), enabling real-time particle separation via electric fields without unsustainable filters.[1][2]
Praan rides the cleantech wave addressing outdoor air pollution, where no scalable solutions existed despite PM's 45x-150x warming impact over CO2 and 9/10 people breathing polluted air daily.[2][6] Timing aligns with global regulatory pushes for air quality compliance in industrial/commercial sectors, urbanization, and climate goals, amplified by post-pandemic health focus.[1][5] Market forces like India's manufacturing boom and investor interest in deeptech moonshots favor Praan, competing with Clairco and Devic Earth via superior filterless scale.[2][4] It influences the ecosystem by pioneering a new air tech category, enabling "Make in India" sustainability, and proving dorm-to-market viability for climate hardware.[1][4]
Praan is poised for explosive growth via its planned $14.4M Series A to scale production, expand pilots globally, and target industrial dominance with MKII deployments.[2] Trends like stricter emissions regs, AI-optimized fluid dynamics, and carbon capture mandates will propel it, potentially unlocking billion-dollar markets in urban purification.[1][2][6] Its influence may evolve from niche innovator to ecosystem shaper, inspiring filterless tech in climate hardware while democratizing clean air from dorm-room bold bet to atmospheric rebuild.[4]
Praan has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Praan's investors include Afore Capital, Blume Ventures, Embedded Ventures, Fractal Growth Partners, Glade Brook Capital Partners, Inventus Capital Partners, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed India Partners, Merak Ventures, Seraphim Space, Social Impact Capital, Techstars.
Praan has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in January 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2022 | $2.0M Seed | Afore Capital, Blume Ventures, Embedded Ventures, Fractal Growth Partners, Glade Brook Capital Partners, Inventus Capital Partners, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed India Partners, Merak Ventures, Seraphim Space, Social Impact Capital, Techstars, Uncork Capital, V3 Ventures, Ashish Taneja, Helen Liang, Ryan Johnson, Sahin Boydas |
