Mahantam is an early-stage startup founded by brothers Dhaval Prakashbhai Nai, 20, and Jayesh Prakashbhai Nai, 22, that produces automatic tea glass washing machines. According to the founders, the machine is designed to wash 15 glasses in just 30 seconds, using high-pressure water, and has a capacity of 38 litres of water, which can help wash 250 glasses. The size of the machine can also be adjusted to account for smaller tea stalls or compact areas.
Dhaval, the co-founder of Mahantam, learned machine design on YouTube and was inspired to create the tea glass washing machine after noticing a goat drinking water from the same tub that was being used to clean the glasses at his college’s nearby tea stall. He worked on the machine’s design during the Covid lockdown and created a functional machine after making several prototypes.
Mahantam has already sold three machines and received inquiries from multiple vendors. The startup received a grant from DreamDeal.com, an initiative started by Anupam Mittal to encourage budding entrepreneurs, which Dhaval used to upgrade the machine’s design. The final version of the machine, which sells for ₹28,000 per unit to tea vendors, was presented on Shark Tank India, where the brothers walked away with the season’s second all-shark deal of ₹30 lakh for 20% equity.