Like a yearly apocalypse, air pollution hits Delhi NCR, choking skies and daily lives. Regular purifiers and masks fall short in combating this. But what if air purifiers were wearable and affordable, both at the same time? Anmay Shahlot of atovio tells EFY’s Nidhi Agarwal how they made that possible.
Q. Can you tell us about your product?
A. We have made India’s first made-in-India wearable air purifiers. This device can be worn around the neck and cleans the air around the user. Our entire product is developed and manufactured in India. We launched this in December last year, so it has been eight to nine months. The coming months will be our first real season, as Delhi’s winter air often exceeds 800 to 1000 AQI, far above the World Health Organisation emergency level of 250. It is a major problem, and we wanted to create a solution.
Q. Any reason for beginning a startup?
A. Air pollution in India is a burning problem, and people have limited solutions for that. You see, N95 masks allow little protection, and room air purifiers only clean small spaces. Living in Delhi made it worse for me personally; when I moved to Gurugram, the first thing I bought for my new home was an air purifier. Thus, recognising this gap and leveraging our problem-solving skills from our background, we decided to create a personal air purifier. After numerous iterations and challenges, we are now ready to bring this solution to a wider audience.
Q. What is the story behind your startup’s name?
A. We wanted a name that was simple and easy to remember. We focused on the ideas of atmosphere and air, or Vayu. The name Atovio comes from combining ‘Ato’ from atmosphere and ‘Vio’ from Vayu. We eat and drink a few times a day, but we breathe about 22,000 times, and yet we seldom think about the quality of the air we inhale. We sought a name that highlights the importance of air and atmosphere in life.
Q. What was your first focus in making the air purifier: size, performance, or something else?
A. The main focus at first was to make sure the product actually works. However, being the most effective does not always guarantee success. What really matters is whether people can use it easily in their daily lives. For example, N95 masks are very effective, but in Delhi in November, less than 5 per cent of people actually wear them. That is not because they do not work, but because they are inconvenient. We designed a product that is easy to wear for extended periods, at least 12 hours a day, which is necessary due to poor air quality. It is also effective and affordable.
Q. What challenges did you face making it so small?
A. Most room air purifiers use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter and a fan. They pull in polluted air, trap the pollutants in the filter, and release cleaner air. Our device works differently with advanced variable anion technology. It does not have a fan or filter, so there is nothing to replace. Instead, it releases millions of negative ions into the air around you. These ions attach to pollutants, make them heavy, and cause them to settle to the ground. This way, the device cleans your personal breathing space without collecting dirt, and maintenance is simple. Just charge it with a C-type charger. Three hours of charging gives about 48 to 55 hours of battery life.
We considered adding a small HEPA filter and fan to increase efficiency, but again, that made it very noisy. Our focus was on convenience. The device had to be small, quiet, and easy to wear, allowing people to use it comfortably for 10 to 12 hours a day. Unlike an N95 mask, which is efficient but uncomfortable for long periods, this device can be worn throughout the day, making it practical for daily use.
Q. What were the main design challenges, and how did you decide the air purifier’s setup and process?
A. One major challenge is that India’s ecosystem for design and manufacturing is still developing, making it more complex than in China. We could have manufactured it abroad, but we wanted to address this issue in India, especially since it is unlikely to be resolved within the next five to seven years. Government incentives and the chance to make a fully Indian product also motivated us.
We set up an air quality lab at our facility in Hisar, Haryana, to test and refine the design. One unique feature we added is a turbo mode for AQI levels above 200, which is tailored for Indian pollution conditions. This is the only device engineered and validated specifically for India, developed through extensive research and development (R&D), testing and continuous refinement.
Q. How much air does this portable purifier actually clean?
A. We tested this device at the National Aerosol Facility at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, one of the country’s top air quality labs. We tested it in a space of about 0.99 cubic metres (35 cubic feet), so we can say it works in that size area. However, like any air purifier, its effectiveness can vary depending on the conditions. For example, even room air purifiers only reach their complete potential if the room is completely sealed. Similarly, our product’s results will depend on factors such as wind, air quality, temperature, humidity and pollution levels.
Q. How do you check that your AQI and PM2.5 claims are valid?
A. Before launching, we wanted independent testing in addition to our internal checks, so, as I said earlier, we approached the National Aerosol Facility at IIT Kanpur, India’s leading air quality lab. Professor S. N. Tripathi, the lab’s convener and a renowned expert in the country, guided us on testing methods suited to Indian conditions. With their help, our product achieved a 90 per cent reduction in particulate matter (PM) 2.5, PM 10 and other allergens in the breathing area. The full test report is available on our website.
Q. How do you ensure wearable safety and certifications?
A. We have all the required certifications to operate, but we have also tested our products according to global standards. We believe India can build world-class companies, so we aim for the highest quality. Although Indian regulations are somewhat lenient, our products meet global standards. For example, wearable air purifiers need ozone testing. Our product is the only one in India certified to produce no ozone, which is a harmful substance. Some copycat products have entered the market, but they lack safety and testing certifications. We are the only ones fully certified, and now doctors even recommend our product as a breathing aid.
Q. How do you make the battery last longer in such a small device?
A. Yes, we did face a big problem with the battery when we first launched. We had claimed it would last 24 hours, but in reality, it was only 12 to 14 hours. So, we redesigned the product. Now it features a 400mAh battery, which is slightly more expensive, and the battery life has significantly improved. We now claim at least 48 hours of battery life. If you use the device 10 to 12 hours a day, the battery can last up to four days.
Q. Where does electronics fit in your product?
A. We handle the whole manufacturing process ourselves. We use an injection moulding machine to make the shells. Then, we use a surface mount technology (SMT) machine to place all the electronic components on the product. It is a fully electronic device, with a battery, microcontroller and other parts. The device software is also developed in-house. It is a very important part. In the future, we also plan to integrate it with an app, and that development is already in progress.
Q. How easy is your design for updates, maintenance and adding new features?
A. For this device, there is almost no maintenance, just a small black brush at the top that needs cleaning once a month with the brush included in the box. We invest heavily in R&D since everything is developed in-house. We have an air quality lab in Hisar where we test ways to make the device more efficient while keeping it compact, using equipment from Germany and Switzerland. R&D is ongoing for this product and future ones, focusing on improving design, efficiency and manufacturing processes.
Q. Do you have any competitors?
A. After we started, a few Chinese companies entered the market, but I would not call them real competitors since their products lack test reports, safety certifications and warranties. The main competitor is a US-based company, Air Temer, whose product even Dr Shashi Tharoor used to, and I have too, but it costs around ₹23,000 in India. We wanted to offer a better option at a lower price, so we focused on customers who cannot spend ₹25,000 but can buy our ₹3000 device, which is much more convenient and about 80 to 85 per cent cheaper.
Q. How many units have been sold, and what revenue has the product made so far?
A. We just started in December last year. While we have sold over 10,000 units so far, this does not fully represent the picture. Our first real season is approaching from October to December, and we expect sales to increase significantly in the next few months. The last three months had the cleanest air in Delhi, so those numbers are not a good way to measure our performance.
Q. What current challenges do you face in growing fast?
A. The main challenge is awareness, as many people still do not realise how bad the air quality is. Our goal is to spread the message so people take care of their health and know about our product. Besides awareness, we also face challenges in product development and manufacturing. Manufacturing electronics in India is challenging; working with various vendors can be difficult, and sometimes the quality of their work or finishing is subpar, so we face challenges there as well.
Q. What are your future plans: hiring, buying tools, or marketing?
A. We are hiring a lot in marketing and operations. We are spending more on marketing and increasing production to meet demand for the last quarter. All of these things are happening.
Q. Are you looking for partners or distributors? Are you B2B or B2C?
A. We sell directly and also through distributors. We saw a lot of interest from distributors when we exhibited at the Consumer Electronics World Expo in July 2025. Air quality is a big concern, and our product is affordable at around ₹3200. It is tested at IIT Kanpur, and we have a strong team. Distributors are a key focus for us so we can reach more customers this upcoming season.
Q. Are you planning academic tie-ups?
A. We are working with both types. We already have a formal tie-up with IIT Kanpur. We are also planning to collaborate with other academic institutions. We are collaborating with numerous technical institutes to enhance the product’s efficiency. We are also collaborating with the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Delhi Medical Association, and the Indian Medical Association to test the device on patients, enabling doctors to start recommending it.
