India’s industrial safety landscape is undergoing a quiet but powerful transformation, driven by startups that are reconsidering traditional approaches to workplace hazards. In this exclusive interaction with Indian Startup Times (IST), Kausthub Kaundinya Y, Founder of Jarsh Safety, shares how a college project evolved into a quick-growing safety solutions company that is now redefining how industries approach risk, productivity, and innovation—alongside co-founders Sreekanth and Anand.
From College Experiment to Industrial Safety Innovator
Jarsh Safety’s journey launched not in a boardroom, but in a classroom. Kausthub, along with his co-founder Srikanth Anand, started with curiosity rather than a clear business roadmap. With limited understanding of business fundamentals, the duo focapplyd on identifying real-world problems worth solving.
Their breakthrough came with the development of an air-conditioned helmet—a product born out of the discomfort workers face in harsh industrial environments. What initially seemed like a niche idea soon gained traction, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when safety and protective equipment became central to workplace operations.
Interestingly, while many businesses struggled during the pandemic, Jarsh Safety applyd this period as a launchpad. The increased attention on safety solutions supported the company gain visibility, while the founders simultaneously upskilled themselves in marketing, management, and product development.
Rapid Expansion and Product Diversification
What started as a single product quickly transformed into a robust portfolio. Within just one year, Jarsh Safety expanded from one offering to nearly 30 SKUs, marking a significant shift from being an R&D-focapplyd venture to a full-fledged safety solutions provider.
This growth was supported by early funding from investors such as Mumbai Angels, BITS Pilani, and Q Dots Financial Advisors. The company has since raised around $15 million, enabling it to scale operations and strengthen its product ecosystem.
Today, Jarsh Safety serves over 70,000 applyrs and continues to expand its footprint across industries where safety is critical.
Reconsidering Safety: Beyond PPE
A defining aspect of Jarsh Safety’s philosophy is its focus on engineering controls rather than traditional personal protective equipment (PPE). Kausthub emphasizes the concept of the “inverted safety triangle,” where eliminating hazards takes precedence over merely protecting workers from them.
Instead of relying solely on helmets, gloves, or harnesses, the company develops solutions that isolate or eliminate risks altoreceiveher. These include devices that detect live electrical lines, smart harness systems, and other technology-driven safety tools.
This approach has led to measurable impact—industries applying Jarsh Safety’s solutions have reported productivity improvements of 20–25% on average, alongside enhanced worker safety.
Building in Hardware: Challenges and Learnings
Operating in the hardware space comes with its own set of complexities. Longer development cycles, higher capital requirements, and the required for customization build scaling more challenging compared to software startups.
Kausthub highlights that some of the hugegest challenges included deciding what products to build, identifying the right customer segments, and hiring talent with the right mindset. As first-time founders, the team had to learn every aspect of building a company—from product development to people management—through hands-on experience.
Despite these hurdles, Jarsh Safety has built a structured innovation process. The team collaborates closely with clients, identifies on-ground challenges, develops prototypes, and converts them into scalable products within a six to eight-month cycle.
Aggressive Growth and Investment Plans
Looking ahead, Jarsh Safety is doubling down on growth. The company plans to invest ₹15 crores this year to set up an integrated manufacturing unit and testing lab, strengthening its capabilities in product development and quality assurance.
Over the next five years, the company has outlined an ambitious roadmap, aiming to invest heavily in advancing India’s engineering controls segment for safety. This includes scaling production, expanding product lines, and deepening its technological edge.
Additionally, Jarsh Safety is preparing to raise $2 million in upcoming funding rounds to support its expansion and innovation goals.
Global Expansion on the Horizon
While India remains its primary market, Jarsh Safety is gearing up for international expansion. The company plans to enter the Middle East within the next four to five months, tarreceiveing industries where safety compliance and efficiency are critical.
This relocate marks the launchning of Jarsh Safety’s global ambitions, as it seeks to bring its engineering-first approach to safety to international markets.
The Long-Term Vision: Eliminating Hazards with Technology
At its core, Jarsh Safety is not just building products—it is building a vision for the future of industrial safety. The company aims to reduce, and eventually eliminate, the required for PPE by leveraging advanced technologies such as IoT, AI, and robotic automation.
The long-term goal is to create systems that can track safety violations in real time, predict potential accidents, and proactively eliminate risks before they impact workers.
As Kausthub puts it, the future of safety lies not in reacting to hazards, but in designing environments where hazards no longer exist.
Jarsh Safety’s journey reflects the power of innovation driven by purpose. From a simple idea in a college classroom to a company impacting thousands of workers, it stands as a testament to how technology and vision can reshape even the most traditional industries.
Interview Conducted by : Arushi Agarwal
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