We’re excited to share that our portfolio company, Chara Technologies, has raised ₹52 crore in a funding round led by Arkam Ventures.
Congratulations to Bhaktha Keshavachar, Mahalingam Koushik, Ravi Prasad, and the entire Chara team on this milestone! Since our seed investment, Chara has been at the forefront of developing rare-earth-free electric motor technology, driving India’s transition toward sustainable and self-reliant clean mobility. The team’s deep engineering excellence and commitment to innovation continue to redefine what’s possible in the EV ecosystem
Progress Since Our Seed Investment
When Kalaari first partnered with Chara Technologies, the team was driven by a bold vision — to reimagine the electric motor for a world rapidly moving toward an electron-based energy economy. From industrial systems and household appliances to electric mobility, motors are the invisible engines powering modern life. Yet, for decades, their underlying technology has remained largely unchanged — heavily dependent on rare-earth magnets and global supply chains that are both costly and geopolitically fragile.
Chara set out to change that. Since our early investment, the company has evolved from concept to a proven platform for intelligent, software-defined, and rare-earth-free motors and controllers. Today, Chara has developed six stable motor and controller applications across diverse power ranges – demonstrating the versatility and scalability of their technology.
By combining advanced motor architectures with proprietary control algorithms, Chara’s systems deliver smooth, efficient, and fault-tolerant performance, rivalling traditional permanent-magnet-based designs — but without the environmental and strategic costs. Their “Made in India” approach provides OEMs with a reliable, locally engineered alternative built for long-term sustainability and independence
Why It Matters
The global transition to electrification is reshaping how industries approach efficiency, sustainability, and energy security. Electric motors account for nearly half of global electricity consumption, and as sectors across manufacturing, transport, and infrastructure move away from fossil fuels, the demand for reliable, efficient, and locally sourced motors is accelerating.
At the same time, with over 90% of rare-earth magnet processing concentrated in China, the world faces critical supply-chain risks. Chara’s rare-earth-free motor platform directly addresses these vulnerabilities, offering a strategically independent and technologically superior alternative.
As India and the world pursue cleaner, self-reliant pathways for electrification, Chara’s innovation stands out — combining deep engineering with national strategic importance to enable a more sustainable, geopolitically resilient future.
The Road Ahead
With the fresh infusion of capital led by Arkam Ventures, Chara is now accelerating its commercial deployment of the 6 stable products as well as R&D in next-generation motor architectures.
From concept to commercialization, Chara’s journey embodies the promise of India’s DeepTech ecosystem — solving complex global challenges through innovation, precision engineering, and purpose-driven vision.
We’re proud to continue our partnership with Bhaktha Keshavachar, Mahalingam Koushik, and Ravi Prasad, whose collective expertise across software, power electronics, and motor design is shaping the next generation of electric motion technologies built from India for the world
Quote from Bhaktha
“Kalaari was our first institutional investor and have since supported us, thru thick and thin, with a strong conviction on our thesis of building a deep tech company from India, solving a critical problem that is worldwide.
Kalaari’s guidance in strategy and their amazing rolodex has helped us a lot in our journey.
From Pranav:
“From the very beginning, what stood out about Bhaktha, Maha, and Ravi was their deep conviction and relentless drive to build a deep IP-led company from India. They were eager to take on one of the toughest engineering challenges — reimagining motor technology for a world moving toward electrification. In a space long dependent on rare-earth imports and legacy designs, Chara’s journey from concept to multiple stable motor applications reflects not just engineering excellence, but the grit and purpose of a team building for lasting impact.”
