Flat tires to smart locks: Five Tamil Nadu startups innovating to solve real problems

Indian startups are creating a lasting impact by solving everyday frustrations, ones that people experience but rarely expect solutions for. Among these are Tamil Nadu's founders who are building businesses that make daily life safer, more convenient, and more sustainable.

At the Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit (TNGSS) 2025, this pragmatic approach to problem-solving takes centre stage with various ventures. Each addresses a gap that millions face, proving that purposeful innovation starts with understanding what people actually need.

TowMan's roadside revolution

Stranded motorists in India often face chaotic, unreliable roadside assistance, resorting to local mechanics with unpredictable service quality and pricing.

In 2021, Silambarasan Ramakrishnan launched TowMan. The Chennai-based startup offers a 24/7 roadside assistance network that combines real-time tracking, a responsive call center, and subscription-based reliability. The platform offers flat tire support, battery jumpstarts, and towing services across India, giving both individual and corporate customers confidence that help is always within reach.

"Our mission is simple: keep people moving safely and confidently on the road. TowMan is here to ensure that help is never more than a call away," Ramakrishnan says.

With over 30,000 customers served and three rounds of seed funding from StartupTN, STPI, and American Tamil Fund, TowMan has built an operational infrastructure that's rare in India's fragmented automotive services sector. Recognition as Rising Startup of the Year 2023 by MSME Tamil Nadu and participation in TiE Silicon Valley and VIVATECH 2025 signal growing investor and ecosystem confidence.

The company is now expanding service coverage across additional cities while integrating AI-driven dispatch technology to reduce response times and improve customer experience.

Tocal's sustainable delivery model

While India's booming e-commerce and quick-commerce sectors have created millions of delivery jobs, the economics remain challenging for gig workers. Drivers must buy, maintain, and fuel their own vehicles, consuming nearly 30 percent of their monthly earnings. Meanwhile, every fossil-fuel delivery emits 285 grams of CO2, and with millions of deliveries happening daily, the climate impact is staggering.

To solve this, Bengaluru-based Tocal, founded in 2021 by Dhairyasheel Deshmukh under DBYT Dynamics Mobility Solutions, has a solution: electric vehicles at zero upfront cost for drivers, paired with a platform that connects them to delivery opportunities. For businesses, Tocal becomes a green delivery partner that cuts logistics costs while reducing emissions.

The impact has been tangible. The startup has completed 2.4 million sustainable deliveries, generated Rs 6.1 crore in lifetime revenue, avoided 1.57 million kilograms of CO2 emissions, and provided livelihood opportunities for over 2,500 drivers.

"I want Tocal to be recognized as one of the most reliable and technology-enabled intra-city transport networks. We are on a mission to enable 1 million independent drivers and provide them a dignified job opportunity with sustainable income," Deshmukh says.

With support from Startup India Seed Fund, StartupTN's TANSEED 3.0, and recognition as Best Startup on Campus at IIT Madras, Tocal is building a super-app for delivery executives that enables cross-utilization across platforms, helping drivers earn more every day while scaling toward operating 100,000 EVs.

Farmerette's health foods

Women's health needs still remain underserved in mainstream food products. From period-related discomfort and bone health for women over 45 to healthy snacking options for children, functional nutrition often takes a back seat to mass-market convenience.

Madurai-based Farmerette Health Foods, founded by Sundare Raju and Meena Ramu, is addressing this gap with functional food products specifically designed for women and children. The range includes products for menstrual health, muscle strengthening for women over 45, calcium-rich offerings for bone health, and healthy snacks made with high-quality ingredients, free from palm oil, refined sugar, and refined flour.

Beyond product innovation, Farmerette has created social impact by training over 100 rural women in the region, helping them become economically independent and support their families.

"To ease from disease with feel-good-foods, to brighten their souls and kindle their smile, is the Farmerette's dream," Raju says.

V SAFE's smart locks from Thanjavur

Traditional locks are either insecure or inconvenient. On the other hand, high-end smart locks drain batteries quickly and often require frequent recharging. For a country where power reliability varies and user habits differ, most imported solutions fail to meet real-world needs.

Thanjavur-based Thumbikkai Business Solutions, founded by Viknesh Vadivel, has developed V SAFE, India's first Make-in-India smart locker and door lock with microamp power consumption and year-long battery life. The system uses fingerprint recognition and mobile app control, eliminating keys while adding anti-theft alerts and tamper-proof security.

What sets V SAFE apart is its focus on the entire value chain. The company has created employment across assembly, PCB manufacturing, testing, packaging, and logistics, demonstrating that hardware innovation can generate diverse job opportunities beyond metros.

"Our ancestors have already shown the world that we can create world-class marvels like the Thanjavur Temple. With V SAFE, we are on a mission to prove it once again by building world-class technology from our homeland," Vadivel says.

V SAFE has secured funding from angel investors and IIT Delhi's Technology Business Incubator and received an appreciation letter from the Prime Minister's Office for developing cutting-edge technology from a Tier II city.

Karotimam's biodegradable circuits

Electronic waste is one of the world's fastest-growing pollution streams, largely because conventional circuit boards use petroleum-based plastics that persist for centuries. Chennai-based Karotimam Innovations, founded in 2023 by Dr Chithra Lekha P and Sanal K. Mohanan, is tackling this at the source with biodegradable substrates for printed electronics.

The company's innovation replaces materials like FR-4 and Kapton with biodegradable, printable matrices compatible with inkjet, screen, and 3D printing. These substrates need no pre- or post-curing, enable low-cost roll-to-roll manufacturing of RFID tags, heaters, sensors, and energy devices, and deliver true circularity without compromising performance.

"We're proving that high-performance devices can be printed on biodegradable materials, so innovation no longer comes at the planet's expense," Dr. Chithra Lekha says.

Karotimam has won multiple awards, including the FICCI Resource Efficiency & Circular Economy Award, Rolls-Royce Innovation Challenge 2024, and Bosch Innovation Challenge 2024. With an Indian patent filed and pilot production underway, the company is scaling substrate manufacturing with HDFC Parivartan CSR support and preparing to deploy recyclable flexible heaters in packaging and healthcare.

The StartupTN catalyst effect

Across TowMan, Tocal, Farmerette, V SAFE, and Karotimam, StartupTN's TANSEED program provided crucial early-stage funding, mentorship, and market access. Each company received Rs 10 lakh in funding, while women-led startups and those focused on rural, agritech, and greentech received up to Rs 15 lakh, along with ecosystem connections that opened doors to follow-on investments and strategic partnerships.

Innovation that serves

These five startups demonstrate a truth often lost in startup narratives: the most enduring businesses solve problems people actually face. From stranded drivers and overworked gig workers to underserved health needs, inadequate home security, and mounting e-waste, Tamil Nadu's founders are building solutions that improve daily life while creating sustainable businesses.

As the state advances toward its $1 trillion economy target by 2030, these ventures represent a model of innovation grounded in empathy, built with technology, and scaled with purpose. Together, they prove that Tamil Nadu's startup ecosystem is solving for markets while serving people, one everyday problem at a time.