Vidyut Mohan
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Takachar
Vidyut joins Breakthrough Energy’s Innovator Fellows program from Takachar in New Delhi, India. With a background in mechanical engineering and sustainable energy technology, he applies his interest in user-centric product innovation to create impactful climate technology that meet the needs of the end-users. At Takachar, Vidyut and his team have the first portable device for converting natural waste into bioproducts in even the most hard-to-access and underserved rural agricultural communities.
Unlike traditional biomass process technologies that are large-scale, centralized, and capital-intensive, Takachar’s low-cost, portable solution can attach to tractors and pick-up trucks to process crop and forest debris into biofuels, fertilizers, and other valuable products onsite. With the support of the Fellows program, Takachar will work to de-risk the technology and deploy field-scale prototypes with diverse communities to demonstrate usability and impact in the target markets.
Vidyut holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the R.V. College of Engineering. He earned a Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Technology with a Specialization in Biomass Technology and Cross-Cultural Entrepreneurship from the Delft University of Technology. He began his career as a senior user experience researcher with Simpa Energy, where he developed affordable solar energy systems for off-grid households and small businesses in rural India. He also co-founded a biomass to fuels company, Pirool Energy, that focused on utilizing forest fire causing pine needle waste in the Himalayas.
Q&A
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
“Fall in love with the problem you want to solve, and not the solution.”This advice has stuck with me, as it has enabled with me to persevere. I have had deep “encounters” and experiences with the problem we are trying to solve at Takachar, and despite some solutions not working out during our prototyping process, my ‘Why’ of working on this problem has always kept me going.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I love the mountains, particularly the Himalayas, and wanted to be a Glaciologist when I was younger.
What is your favorite word and why?
My favorite word is “empathy”. If you truly understand what this word means, you will always listen to understand and not listen to reply. When applied to business, this will help you understand what your user actually needs or is trying to express.
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