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New Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai consistently rank among the world’s most polluted cities, reporting respiratory illnesses and mould-related infections. With outdoor air quality deteriorating faster than solutions can emerge, the focus is shifting to what we can control: the air within our homes, offices, and hospitals. Abhinav Gupta, a BITS Pilani (Goa) graduate, has been building hardware since 2008, and he identified gaps in indoor air solutions while running an air quality monitoring startup, ActiveBuildings. The revelation came during a $1-million project with Vitalik Buterin, a philanthropist and the co-founder of Ethereum, to deploy 5,000 Indoor Air Quality monitors and 10,000 air cleaners across Maharashtra's schools and hospitals. Gupta uncovered three critical issues that affected indoor breathing: mould-related lung infections, lack of ventilation and oxygen, and pollution from pollen and allergens. Then, a client from an IVF centre, who was facing embryo damage due to poor air quality, asked the fundamental question that changed everything: Why buy five separate machines, a dehumidifier, a humidifier, a ventilator, an air purifier, and an air conditioner/heater for maintaining air quality—why can’t one AC do all of this? Smart air management To address this challenge, Gupta co-founded Breethr HQ in 2024, along with seasoned marketeer and business management graduate Manav Shetty. Positioning itself at the forefront of ‘the future of air quality and breathing’, the Mumbai-based startup has built a device that combines the functions of five devices into a single unit. It cleans polluted air, pumps in fresh oxygen, controls temperature, and manages moisture levels, and thus does away with the need for five separate machines—dehumidifier, humidifier, ventilator, purifier, and AC. The Breethr HQ unit processes outdoor air across multiple parameters—temperature, humidity, oxygen, pollen, pollution, moisture, and bacteria—and delivers it indoors. Different blocks inside the unit handle individual parameters, activating only when needed. If the indoor moisture is fine, that block stays off. If the temperature is optimal, heating or cooling is not activated. The system responds only to what’s wrong with the air and delivers conditioned air indoors. “Traditionally, only knowledgeable individuals would know when to switch on a dehumidifier or filter. Breethr HQ reads and adjusts air parameters automatically, optimising the air,” Gupta says. The device uses medical-grade HEPA filters to remove dust, pollen, bacteria, and viruses, while special media filters eliminate chemical pollutants and odours. The startup claims its system achieves 99.9% filtration efficiency with a built-in dehumidification process that removes excess moisture. The standard Breethr HQ unit covers spaces up to 950 square feet and consumes just 1 unit of electricity every 30 hours. The Breethr XL variant is designed for larger spaces and consumes 1 unit every 3 hours. The company guarantees a single-digit air quality index (AQI) and oxygen-rich air indoors, regardless of the outdoor pollution. The system works with windows open or closed, maintaining air quality while allowing natural light inside. Market and impact Breethr HQ offers three variants priced between Rs 30,000 and Rs 1,20,000 based on space size. Its B2B clients include hospitals, fitness centres, and commercial buildings such as Cult.Fit, Aster Hospital, and IVF clinics, while B2C customers are health-conscious individuals, families with young children, and senior citizens. The bootstrapped, cash-positive company has 157 clients across Bengaluru and Delhi, serves customers pan-India, and plans to expand to the Middle East and the US. Breethr HQ says it has created a new category of air solutions; however, it competes with brands such as Dyson in design and Tion Breezer in performance. It also draws inspiration from wellness brands like Ultrahuman and Ceragem’s Neuro. Commenting on the pricing of Breethr HQ, Gupta says, “We believe health essentials shouldn’t be luxuries; everyone deserves access to clean air.” Gupta says devices like Breethr HQ are essential in the coming decade as people spend more time indoors, amid worsening air quality. “We are not fighting climate change; we are helping people adapt to it,” he says. Breethr HQ is part of YourStory’s Tech30 cohort—a selection of India’s most promising startups of 2025—unveiled at TechSparks Bengaluru. (Edited by Swetha Kannan)
