Success Story I From badminton courts to factory floors: How this Chandigarh woman is giving robots a brain

A UIET (University Institute of Engineering & Technology) biotech engineering graduate and former professional badminton player who represented Chandigarh at the nationals for five consecutive years, Khandelwal realised early on that biotech wasn’t her calling. She pivoted to industrial automation, completing her master’s at Newcastle University, UK, before joining Siemens UK as an industrial automation specialist.

After five years at Siemens, the pandemic brought her back to India. “When Siemens asked me to return, I realised I wanted to build something of my own,” she recalls.

Founding Terafac

In September 2021, Khandelwal registered Terafac without a team or a product. By 2022, the company was working on smart learning and smart manufacturing, creating mini factory setups with conveyor systems, robotic arms, and automation tools to train students in industrial processes.

The turning point came in April 2023, when her longtime friend Amrit Singh, an IIT Delhi alumnus, joined as co-founder. “I bring the manufacturing brain; he brings the AI brain,” says Khandelwal. Together, they shifted focus toward integrating AI into industrial robotics.

Giving robots a brain

Terafac is developing an intelligence layer, a computer vision and decision-making system that can be integrated into off-the-shelf robots, enabling them to “see, analyse, and act autonomously”.

Its first application targets welding, a largely manual process in industries such as auto ancillaries, valve manufacturing, and tractor body production. “We make standalone dumb robots smart by giving them eyes and a brain,” Khandelwal says.

The company has already begun pilots with manufacturers and plans to extend its technology to robots handling gluing, painting, and powder coating.

Funding and growth

In January 2025, Terafac raised Rs 6.5 crore from investors including Inuka Capital (US), Bharat Founders Fund (UK), DEVC by Matrix Partners, and several angels, along with support from the Startup India Seed Fund via Innovation Mission Punjab.

“When we raised the funds, we didn’t even have a product, just an idea on paper. Now, within months, our system is live at customer sites,” says Khandelwal. The funds will be used to scale technology, hire top talent, and expand deployments.

Challenges and ecosystem building

Building a deep-tech startup in Chandigarh comes with hurdles. “Raising funds and hiring high-end engineers is harder here than in Bengaluru,” she says. However, she points to low attrition rates and strong support from local institutions like IIM Amritsar and Panjab University, among others.

Terafac is also helping strengthen the local ecosystem, partnering with universities and organising a hackathon with UIET in September. The company hires primarily from Lovely Professional University, Punjab Engineering College, Plaksha University, and other regional colleges, focusing on computer science graduates for entry roles and AI and computer vision specialists for senior positions.

Looking ahead

Now a 21-member team, Terafac aims to make AI-powered robotics mainstream in Indian manufacturing. “Our goal is to make standalone robots smarter – welding, painting, gluing, anything that happens on the shop floor,” says Khandelwal.

With pilots underway and funding secured, Terafac is positioning itself as one of the few Indian startups innovating in physical intelligence, an emerging field in India.

(Shivangi Vashisht is an intern with The Indian Express)