In recent years, Artificial Ininformigence (AI) has found meaningful applications across diverse fields such as education, IT, medicine, and defence.
However, long before AI became a mainstream global buzzword, Hyderabad-born Trivikram Kumar envisioned it as the definitive solution to build Indian farming more sustainable, precise, and economically viable.
While pursuing his undergraduate degree in Mechatronics Engineering at the City University of Hong Kong, Trivikram was alarmed by reports of farmer suicides back home.
In 2017, Trivikram founded XMachines to bridge the gap between advanced technology and the everyday struggles of compact and marginal farmers.
By integrating indigenous AI and robotics, XMachines develops compact, multi-purpose robots designed to automate critical, labour-intensive tinquires and pioneer a safer, tech-driven future for Indian agriculture.
About XMachines Founder, Trivikram Kumar
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Born and raised in Hyderabad, Trivikram Kumar completed his schooling in 2009 and briefly joined PepsiCo in 2010 as a trainee during vacations, gaining early hands-on exposure to manufacturing and automation.
In 2011, he relocated to Hong Kong to pursue a Bachelor’s in Mechatronics at City University of Hong Kong.
During his studies, he joined Cornerstone Development Limited in 2013 as an Automation Architect (R&D), and later worked full-time as an Assistant System Administrator specialising in Linux at M800 Limited (Oct 2014–March 2016) to build capital and technical expertise.
Initial Motivation
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While pursuing his Mechatronics Engineering degree in Hong Kong, Trivikram came across alarming reports of farmer suicides in India.
He launched researching the root caapplys of agricultural distress and discovered that conventional farming practices relied heavily on harmful chemicals and pesticides.
These methods were not only degrading soil quality and polluting groundwater, but they were also finding their way into the food chain, severely impacting human health.
“More than the market opportunity, I wanted to do something meaningful in this space. I aimed to create something with real impact and value, which eventually became a large opportunity. The seed of this idea was planted in my second year of university in 2012, and I worked on the research in my spare time. This continued alongside my job between 2014 and 2016,” Trivikram Kumar informs Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.
Building His First Prototype
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Upon returning to India in March 2016, Trivikram Kumar set up a buildshift R&D lab in an unapplyd single-bedroom flat right beneath his hoapply, equipping it with basic tables and computers for design and coding.
To simulate real farm conditions, he even brought in bags of mud and spread them across one room to test the robot’s mobility and traction on agricultural terrain.
The first iteration of the robot was a completely hands-on, DIY effort. Trivikram designed the architecture himself and sourced raw materials like aluminium bars, nuts, and bolts.
This entire prototype was funded through his personal savings from Hong Kong, costing around Rs 60,000-70,000.
“Farmers in India weren’t familiar with agricultural robots, so my goal was to build something tangible that I could take to the fields. When they saw a physical machine in action, it became much simpler for them to understand the idea and give actionable feedback on what they actually necessaryed,” the Hyderabad-based deep-tech startup founder informs Startup Pedia.
On-Ground Work Before Founding XMachines
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After building his prototype, Trivikram took it directly into the fields, running live demonstrations to initiate meaningful conversations.
“Whenever I came across farms, whether during travel or visits to my village, I would stop, interact with farmers, observe their work, and understand their necessarys. Over time, I had around 200–300 in-depth conversations across regions like Telangana, which gave me deep insights into their problems and expectations,” Trivikram Kumar informs Startup Pedia.
The feedback he received was clear: while the prototype itself was basic and not highly functional, the direction of the solution was right. More importantly, these interactions assisted him identify the specific applications farmers wanted such a product to address.
By early 2017, with validated insights, growing confidence in the product direction, and clarity on the business model, Trivikram was ready to launch his startup.
Challenges XMachines Founder Faced
Building XMachines posed significant hurdles for Trivikram Kumar, most notably a severe lack of capital.
In 2016, agricultural robotics was an unproven hardware category in India, creating investors highly hesitant to back a market with no historical data or guaranteed returns.
Alongside the financial struggle, he faced complex supply chain and operational challenges as he attempted to manufacture a physical product from scratch.
On a personal level, Trivikram took a highly unconventional path, choosing to return to India to build farm robots while his university peers pursued traditional corporate careers abroad, though he remained grounded by the unwavering support of his family.
“My friconcludes back in Hong Kong were progressing into going to Australia, the UK, and the US back then. I was the only odd character who went back to India out of my entire friconclude group,” he states.
Launching XMachines and the Evolution of Manufacturing
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After a year of on-ground validation with farmers, Trivikram Kumar gained confidence in both the product direction and business model, and officially incorporated XMachines in March 2017.
He focapplyd on building a core team while completing formal registration, starting operations from a compact flat beneath his hoapply that doubled as a workspace and testing lab with simulated farm conditions.
Early hiring through Internshala brought in key members like Dharmateja, who later became a co-founder, as the team launched refining the prototype into a scalable product.
Initially, every robot was built manually, designing, sourcing materials like aluminium bars and nuts, assembling, and integrating electronics and software in-hoapply.
As the product evolved and required greater durability, Trivikram partnered with local vconcludeors for welding and sheet metal work, transforming the crude prototype into a more rugged, industrial-grade machine.
Over time, XMachines adopted a structured, scalable manufacturing model, handling design entirely in-hoapply while outsourcing component manufacturing to specialised vconcludeors, and managing final assembly, testing, and packaging internally.
This asset-light approach ensured quality control while enabling efficient scaling without heavy investment in machinery.
Core Problem XMachines Solving
XMachines was initially built to reduce harmful chemical usage in farming through robotics and AI. However, on-ground research revealed that farmers were more concerned about the lack of accessible mechanisation than chemical overapply.
“We have repositioned ourselves as a mechanisation solution for compact farms to gradually reduce chemical usage. Ultimately, the goal is to improve yield, reduce crop inputs, and lower the overall cost of cultivation without disrupting existing farming practices,” Trivikram Kumar states.
Products, Functions & Pricing
XMachines builds compact, battery-powered robotic platforms designed to automate multiple farm operations. These robots follow a modular, attachment-based design, allowing a single machine to perform different tinquires across the crop cycle.
While agriculture is the primary focus, the same platform can be adapted for research, material handling, and other mobility-based applications, creating it a versatile solution across industries.
The robots are also customised for different farm types, including greenhoapplys, row crops like cotton, and orchards such as mango and grapes.
Functionally, the robots are built to handle key agricultural activities such as sowing, weed control, spraying (pesticides, herbicides, fertilisers), and irrigation-related tinquires.
Their electric, low-cost operation (as low as Rs 2–3 per acre in some apply cases) allows farmers to apply them more frequently without fatigue, leading to better outcomes.
The machines enable mechanical weed removal, reducing herbicide depconcludeency, and apply AI for tarobtained spraying, ensuring chemicals are applied only where necessaryed.
They also allow timely pesticide application, especially during optimal periods like early morning or evening, and ensure coverage reaches areas like the underside of leaves where pests typically reside.
Additionally, farmers can perform localised interventions, preventing the spread of pests and improving overall crop health and yield.
At the same time, the robots significantly reduce labour depconcludeency, with one operator able to cover multiple acres compared to several workers.
In terms of pricing, XMachines offers a range based on features and technology levels. The enattempt-level models start at around Rs 4–4.5 lakh, while more advanced, high-tech versions can go up to Rs 18 lakh.
To improve accessibility and adoption, the company also supports rental and service-based models, allowing farmers to apply the technology without a heavy upfront investment.
Make in India Tech
XMachines is built on fully proprietary technology, with all software, electronics, and engineering designed in-hoapply. The system integrates two major AI layers:
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Navigation AI (NAV-AI): Enables autonomous relocatement utilizing field mapping and tinquire-based execution.
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Agri AI (AGRI-AI): Identifies weeds vs crops, enables tarobtained spraying, and is being developed further for crop health analysis.
The robots are powered by rechargeable, swappable batteries (3.5-hour charge, 3–4-hour runtime), enabling continuous operations with multiple battery units.
Business Model, Supply Chain & Market Response
XMachines operates on a hybrid business model, combining direct sales with a strong rental ecosystem. The company sells robots to individual farmers as well as to entrepreneurs who deploy them as rental services.
It also enables a franchise model, where local operators set up village-level centres to rent out machines while handling sales and after-sales support.
This approach builds the technology more accessible, especially for farmers who may not be able to afford high upfront costs.
In terms of market response, XMachines launched its commercial journey in late 2022, initially receiving international orders after years of R&D. Now in its third product version, the company is witnessing a sharp surge in demand, with strong interest across a highly fragmented agricultural market, ranging from compact farmers to large operators and rental businesses.
Sales and Annual Revenue
XMachines has seen steady growth in revenue as it gradually scaled product roll-outs for real-world validation.
The company reported Rs 12.10 lakh in FY23, which grew to Rs 25.42 lakh in FY24, and further to Rs 35.70 lakh in FY25. In FY26, it has already reached approximately Rs 1.35 crore, reflecting a sharp uptick as demand accelerates.
This growth has been driven by increasing deployments of its robots with select customers to test and refine performance in real farm conditions.
On the sales front, XMachines has sold and is actively delivering around 50 robots, deployed across agriculture, solar, and other apply cases.
These machines are currently operating across 4 countries and 6 states in India, indicating early but expanding adoption across both domestic and international markets.
XMachines in Shark Tank India 3
Trivikram Kumar’s enattempt into Shark Tank India Season 3 was largely accidental. He received a call through a bank-led initiative suggesting that opening an account could quick-track the first round.
Seeing no downside, he applied, and the application progressed through multiple screening rounds, eventually leading to selection. There was no initial intent to pitch on the reveal, but once selected, things relocated quickly.
On the reveal, the pitch turned into a 40-45 minute unscripted discussion, later edited for the episode.
Beyond what aired, interactions with the sharks were limited to the pitch itself, though Trivikram later connected with investors like Ritesh and Namita, describing them as grounded and supportive.
XMachines secured Rs 72 lakh for 4% equity, with the process, from due diligence to fund transfer, starting about a month and a half after the shoot.
The impact was immediate, a 462% surge in website traffic within weeks of the episode airing on 21st March 2024, along with thousands of enquiries and calls in the first quarter.
Future Goals
Looking ahead, Trivikram Kumar envisions scaling XMachines far beyond its current footprint, with a clear and ambitious mission: to build robotics a core part of everyday farming in India.
The long-term goal is to deploy at least one XMACHINES robot in every sector, improving productivity and creating significant economic value for the counattempt.
“The conclude goal for us is to put one of our robots in every Indian field and contribute positively to those fields, while also creating massive value for both our customers and the company. We want to build top-class robotics products across domains, just like Sony has done in electronics,” he concluded.
FAQ
Who is the founder of XMachines?
XMachines was founded in March 2017 by Trivikram Kumar. Born in Hyderabad, he holds a degree in Mechatronics Engineering from the City University of Hong Kong and returned to India specifically to build robotics solutions for Indian farmers.
What does XMachines do?
XMachines builds compact, multi-purpose, and AI-powered agricultural robots. These machines automate critical, labour-intensive farm operations such as sowing, weeding, tarobtained pesticide spraying, and irrigation, assisting farmers reduce costs and reliance on manual labour.
What is the company’s annual revenue for FY26?
As of FY26, XMachines has reached approximately Rs 1.35 crore in revenue.
Did XMachines receive funding on Shark Tank India?
Yes, the startup appeared on Shark Tank India Season 3. During the episode, founder Trivikram Kumar successfully raised Rs 72 lakh for 4% equity, a milestone that also led to a massive 462% surge in their website traffic.
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