Kerala youths chuck MNC offers abroad, run startup to manage organic waste

Managing organic waste sustainably and hygienically remains one of today’s biggest challenges. Vivifica Sustainable Solutions Pvt Ltd, a Kochi-based startup founded in 2018, believes the answer lies in solving the problem right at the source. The company has developed Wenerator, a patented biogas system designed specifically for urban and semi-urban spaces to convert organic waste into clean energy and fertiliser.

Vivifica was founded by four engineers—Rinu Thomas (Chief Technology Officer), Dileep Mathews Paul (Chief Executive Officer), Adarsh Johny (Chief Innovation Officer), and Nithin Thomas (Chief Financial Officer). All of them were offered opportunities abroad after their master’s degrees, but chose instead to stay back and build something impactful from home. “I grew up in an agricultural setting. Staying connected to the land and community mattered to me,” says Rinu.

The turning point came when the team came across a report stating India generates nearly 30 million tonnes of organic waste daily. Around the same time, the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, mandated that bulk waste generators like hospitals, hotels, and canteens manage their waste on-site. This intersection of environmental need and regulatory push sparked the idea behind Vivifica.

The team began their journey in 2016 with an initial investment of ₹60 lakh, spending the first two years experimenting with various anaerobic digestion systems. “We had many failures—including a fire that destroyed our early setup. But we kept refining the design,” recalls Rinu. Eventually, these trials led to the development of a working prototype and the formal registration of Vivifica in 2018.

Their flagship innovation, Wenerator, mimics the animal digestive process. It includes a pretreatment mechanism that crushes food waste into fine particles, aided by chemical additives to maintain pH and boost efficiency. At its core is a multi-stage selective recirculation system—giving quick-digesting waste (like carbohydrates) 10 days, and fibrous waste (like leafy greens) up to 50 days. Undigested materials are recirculated to ensure complete breakdown.

The system uses a multi-chamber anaerobic digestion setup, integrated with IoT sensors for real-time monitoring and remote diagnostics. It produces biogas with over 90% methane purity and generates odorless, nutrient-rich fertilizer—creating a closed-loop, eco-friendly solution.

Vivifica’s big break came when the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with Kerala Startup Mission, selected them for the Green Innovation Fund, granting them ₹5 lakh for a demo plant. More support followed, including grants from IIT Kanpur’s CITI Social Innovation Lab, Idea and Productisation Grants from Kerala Startup Mission, and participation in the MeitY Startup Acceleration Program. In 2024, they established their first pilot plant at SP Medford Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.

So far, Vivifica has raised around ₹1 crore through grants and support programs. The startup has earned wide recognition—selected by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to represent India at the 12th 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Jaipur, and inducted into the Indian Biogas Association.

Their accolades include: UNDP Green Innovation Fund Award, TIDE 2.0 Grant, MeitY SAMRIDH Accelerator, Carbon Zero Challenge (IIT Madras) – Special Category Winner, RUSA Innovation Grant (CUSAT), Envision 2023 (Top 10 Startups – IIT Madras), ReGen Accelerator (IIM Calcutta) – Top 20 Startups, Dana Care Foundation CSR Grant, Global 33 Best Startups – What Design Can Do (Netherlands), Deep Tech Pioneer – Hello Tomorrow (France) and Abhivyakti 2025 – Startup Showcase, IIT Kanpur.

To nurture future talent, Vivifica runs an internship program called ViviWings, offering stipends and hands-on experience in IoT, fluid mechanics, automation, and sustainability to engineering students.

Looking ahead, the team wants to make Wenerator a globally recognised solution. “Our vision is to make source-level biogas systems as common and accessible as rooftop solar panels,” says Rinu. With growing interest from municipalities, CSR partners, and the global circular economy movement, Vivifica is scaling up its operations across schools, hospitals, canteens, hostels, and farms.

“Our mission is simple,” Rinu adds. “To make decentralised biogas systems a core part of India’s urban waste management infrastructure—contributing to a cleaner, greener, and more inclusive future.”