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Revolutionising cooling with eco-friendly innovation
Like much of the world, India is experiencing rising temperatures year after year. As the mercury climbs, so does the demand for cooling solutions
Passion and skill joined hands to create one of its kind cooling solutions that are eco-friendly and yet bring down temperatures much like typical air-conditioners. Tiger Aster and Jeeten Desai (JD), co-founders of Ambiator Private Limited, are ready to bring down temperatures for us, without harming the environment
Like much of the world, India is experiencing rising temperatures year after year. As the mercury climbs, so does the demand for cooling solutions. Currently, cooling accounts for nearly 10% of the country’s total electricity consumption, and that figure is projected to triple by 2030. While air conditioners offer much-needed relief, they come with significant drawbacks: high energy consumption and substantial carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change.
Desert coolers, often considered a more affordable alternative, have their own limitations. They are ineffective in humid climates, provide inconsistent cooling, and often compromise on air quality. These constraints raise a critical question: Can we design a cooling system that is energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and effective?
That’s the challenge Sukhdarshan Dhaliwal, known as DD, and his son Tiger set out to solve in the early 2020s. An expert in cooling systems, DD had developed a heat exchanger for his personal use. Sadly, while still working on the project, he passed away in August 2022. Without his father’s guidance, Tiger nearly abandoned the idea, until a chance meeting changed everything.
Jeeten Desai recalls, saying, “At a demo centre, I met Tiger and heard about the concept he had been working on with his late father. I immediately saw its potential and asked if he would consider continuing the project. While Tiger was confident in handling the technical side, he was hesitant about managing the business aspects. I offered to take that on so he could focus entirely on the technology. He agreed, and we moved forward together.”
Later that year, the two co-founded Ambiator Private Limited, a startup built on the vision of delivering sustainable and efficient cooling solutions, carrying forward not just a technological innovation, but a legacy.
Though Ambiator is based in Hyderabad, the startup was incubated at Pune’s Venture Center.
The Mechanics of Cooling
“It began with a simple question,” says Jeeten. “Can we make comfort cooling sustainable? The core temperature of the human body is around 36.5°C. If you lower the room temperature by even five to ten degrees, it becomes comfortable enough. Air-conditioners do this effectively, but at a cost. They don’t just cool the room; they also dehumidify it, drying out both the air and the people in it. You’ll notice your skin and sinuses feeling dry in an AC room. Plus, many modern glass buildings trap heat, forcing air-conditioners to work even harder. The real cost of air-conditioning is not just financial, it’s environmental.”
He continues, “Wet bulb temperature is always lower than dry bulb temperature. The dew point, the temperature at which water vapour condenses, is where the potential for sustainable cooling lies.”
Though Ambiator is based in Hyderabad, the startup was incubated at Pune’s Venture Center. After two and a half years of R&D, they had a working proof of concept (PoC). Jeeten explains: “The Ambiator transfers heat from air to water efficiently and provides what we call sensible cooling. Air finds its own level, so even with open doors or windows, our continuous air exchange cycle cools the space effectively. We use both dry and wet bulb cooling principles, but the real magic happens in the dry cooling stage. It’s like putting a gloved hand into a can of cold water, you feel cool, but your hand stays dry.”
The startup now holds two granted patents for its innovative techniques.
The Making of Ambiator
While one part of Ambiator focuses on research and technological innovation, the other, often more difficult, is prototyping and manufacturing.
“When we built our early prototype, it was large and made of steel,” says Jeeten. “We faced leakage issues. Later, we switched to LDPE for the inner body, which made the unit lighter and solved the leakage problem. Tiger’s father, DD, had done much of the early work on the heat exchanger and had gone through multiple design iterations.”
Finding the right manufacturing partner proved challenging. Most steel fabricators were unwilling to take on small, custom orders. Eventually, they found a firm that made precision products for multinational companies.
“The owner turned out to be a former business school batchmate of mine,” Jeeten recalls. “That helped open the door, but relationships alone don’t guarantee quality. We agreed to pay 1.5 times the regular cost, on the condition that the products met our exacting standards. If a unit didn’t meet our criteria, it was rejected. Paying more for precision is worth it.”
Getting to Market
Their first customer came through an unexpected source. A neighbour of Jeeten’s had an architect friend who recommended Ambiator to a client in Warangal, Telangana.
“That client had already completed his bungalow, and the developer had installed air-conditioners, but he also wanted cooling in common areas,” says Jeeten. “We retrofitted Ambiator there. Fortunately, he had solar panels, so the ongoing cost of cooling was virtually zero.”
Their next big break came through the SELCO Foundation in Bangalore, which ran a competition to design sustainable cooling solutions for social spaces.
“We used Ambiator to cool a tin shed where their staff worked,” Jeeten explains. “It showed that even people who can’t afford air-conditioners can still enjoy thermal comfort. The shed, which was previously unusable in summer, became a functional workspace.”
Since launching commercially in January 2024, Ambiator has deployed 35 units across India, from Jaipur to Vellore, including Baroda, Pune, Panchgani, Warangal, and Bangalore. Installations range from industrial kitchens and hospitals to tin sheds, homes, and storefronts.
Competition and Market
Ambiator sits squarely between traditional air-conditioners and desert coolers, redefining the middle ground in India’s cooling market. “Air-conditioners provide consistent comfort, but they consume 6–10 kW per unit and use refrigerants with over 2,000 times the global warming potential of CO₂,” says Jeeten. “Desert coolers, while more affordable, are inefficient, water-intensive, and often unhygienic.”
Ambiator aims to deliver the best of both worlds: AC-like comfort using just 1 kW of power, five times less water, and zero refrigerants. “It’s cleaner, healthier, and far more sustainable,” he adds.
This unique combination of comfort, efficiency, and environmental responsibility positions Ambiator as one of the few Indian companies developing climate-positive cooling solutions for widespread use.
Funding and road ahead
So far, Ambiator has raised ₹83 lakh through a mix of grants, awards, and challenge funds. This includes a ₹30 lakh Startup India Seed Fund, structured as a convertible grant in April 2028. Now, the company is gearing up to raise ₹34 crore to scale production, expand R&D, and build a nationwide service infrastructure.
One of the company’s most ambitious goals? Launching a residential bio-climatic unit that works across India’s diverse climates, without compromising on energy efficiency.
What’s Next
“We’re expanding our reach through channel partners,” says Jeeten. “Cooling is a feeling business; you have to experience it. That’s why we’re partnering with spaces like restaurants and clubs, where people can really feel the Ambiator difference.”
Channel partners will also support ducting, logistics, and after-sales service, key to delivering a seamless customer experience.
“People today expect next-day delivery,” he notes. “But our manufacturing process is different. Ambiator units currently take about 75 days. So we’re looking to partner with companies that can stock inventory and manage installations to help us serve customers faster.”
Cooling-as-a-Service: A Sustainable Shift
Ambiator’s next big move is launching Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS). “We help our customers save over 80% on electricity bills. So why not convert capital expenditure (capex) into operating expenditure (opex)? It’s a win-win, for businesses, for us, and for the planet,” Jeeten says.
The company is also in discussions with solar energy providers to integrate Ambiator with renewable systems. “These companies already install solar panels, why not offer Ambiator as an add-on?” Jeeten explains. “We can charge a fee that’s still lower than running traditional air-conditioners. It works for them, for us, and, most importantly, for the environment.”
