CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Mr.Mahek Mody CEO & Co-Founder, Up⤴️
- Can you tell us more about Upliance.AI’s mission and vision in the home appliance industry?
upliance.ai is all about bringing innovation and connectivity to the world of home appliances, with a focus on uplifting the cooking experience. We understand that the pandemic has made people appreciate the importance of their homes, and we believe that homes should be an extension of one’s personality. That’s why we’re passionate about integrating technology into Indian homes in a way that empowers people and enhances their lives.
Our vision for the future of home and cooking is not about robots taking over, but rather about empowering individuals to do more at home without being limited by mundane house chores. We want to create a future where technology seamlessly integrates with our daily lives, enhancing our homes and experiences. We believe that homes should be exciting places where people can explore their creativity and enjoy the process of cooking.
Our flagship product, the delishUp⤴️, is designed to revolutionise cooking at home. Many people rely on YouTube videos and social media for cooking inspiration, so we wanted to offer a solution that combines guidance and convenience. With the delishUp⤴️, users can choose from a vast collection of 350+ guided recipes displayed on the touchscreen. These recipes come with how-to videos and step-by-step instructions, making cooking a breeze. The real magic happens with our smart cooking jar powered by Up⤴️AI, which can chop, stir, sauté, and cook your food perfectly every time. It takes away the hard work and stress of cooking, allowing you to focus on enjoying the process.
In addition to the delishUp⤴️, we have exciting plans to introduce more products that will transform the kitchen. We’re working on a smart microwave and a smart refrigerator that will bring convenience and connectivity to everyday kitchen tasks. Looking further ahead, we aim to expand our reach and address other home appliances like ACs and geysers, bringing the same level of innovation and sophistication to those areas as well.
- Could you elaborate on the key features of delishUp⤴, especially the ChefGPT? How do these features enhance the cooking experience for users?
The delishUp⤴️ uses smart integrated technology to guarantee great tasting food, every time. The device is capable of preparing a wide range of meals. Daily essentials like tea, coffee, chapati dough and steamed rice recipes are available, along with meals like Chicken pulao, Avial, Aloo Gobhi, Chilli Garlic Noodles, Red Sauce Pasta and more. The recipe selection includes meals from nearly every state in the country and a host of international cuisines. All of this and more can be made completely in the upliance, right from chopping the vegetables to cooking and stirring in tadka.
Designed for the Indian home, the device comes with guided, in-built recipes that users can follow along with step-step by guidance.
The delishUp⤴️ cuts, chops, grinds, kneads and minces ingredients. In addition, the cooking functions consist of sauté, cook, steam, boil, and a stir mode. The touchscreen displays an endless supply of guided recipes, each with detailed instructions for everything from ingredient selection to plating. To ensure that your portion sizes are always accurate, the delishUp⤴️ also includes built-in smart weighing scales. Some of the accessories that come with the delishUp⤴️ are a set of measuring spoons, spatula, steamer basket, butterfly whisk and a blade cover all of which make the delishUp⤴️ a one stop kitchen solution for the modern Indian home.
Integration of ChefGPT on the delishUp⤴️ is changing how we interact with technology at home today. As users engage with delishUp⤴️ over time, with AI, it understands better their cooking habits, dietary preferences, and ingredient choices, allowing it to provide more tailored recipe recommendations and cooking tips. Users can ask questions, make requests, and receive recommendations in a natural language format, which can make the cooking experience feel more personalized and engaging.
They can also experiment with creating new dishes with the Recipe Generator (beta), using it to create unusual recipes like a Mushroom Sambar or an Avatar-themed pasta. Overall, the integration of ChefGPT into delishUp⤴️ has enhanced the user experience by creating a more conversational and personalized cooking assistant that can not only learn from and adapt to each user’s preferences and needs but also make home cooking fun and engaging for users.
- What strategies or factors contributed to such rapid revenue growth for Upliance.AI? Can you share some insights into the customer response and adoption of your products?
upliance.ai rapid revenue growth in just six months after launching delishUp⤴️️️ was driven by a strategic approach we call, FAATAC: Fast, Attention to Problems, Authentic Cash. This approach involved rapid product development within six months, addressing challenges faced by young nesters, and focusing on online sales through our website.
Numerous critical elements contributed to this accomplishment. Initially, we prioritised swift development, dedicating six months to crafting our AI cooking assistant, enabling us to grasp market demands swiftly. Moreover, we focused on an overlooked demographic – the young nesters – and systematically addressed their challenges in the kitchen. Most of us don’t know how to cook or cook well, but have been exposed to a larger variety of food and cuisines than previous generations. We built our appliance to bridge the gap between skill and desire and unlock the ability to cook anything at whim.
Lastly, we established a fundamental principle: conducting sales exclusively through our website, refraining from online advertising, instead relying on positive word of mouth and offering a great product experience. This allowed us to grow organically and rapidly, and kept our owners at the heart of our growth. This allowed us to grow our annualised revenue to ₹2.5Cr
The response from consumers has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly appreciating its ease of use and the overall experience the device offers.
Owners value the step-by-step recipe instructions, ingredient prompts, and the convenience of not needing constant monitoring during the cooking process. The availability of guided recipes, how-to videos, and cooking presets specifically designed for Indian home cooking has garnered praise. Owners also appreciate that the delishUp⤴️️️ can be connected to home Wi-Fi, allowing for over-the-air updates that provide real-time access to new features such as our current integration with ChatGPT, weekly recipe updates, ensuring the product continuously improves over time.
- How does Upliance.AI approach its omnichannel strategy to reach consumers?
Entering the smart kitchen industry was a no-brainer for us. Mohit and I come from backgrounds in hardware engineering, and we had a shared vision of revolutionizing home appliances. We aimed to create a brand, upliance.ai, that understands the needs of young homeowners and offers a new way of smart living. Also not forgetting our personal experiences also played a significant role in shaping our journey.
Like many millennials, we faced a common dilemma when it came to cooking at home. We wanted variety but felt limited by our cooking skills and repetitive recipes. This inspired us to create the delishUp⤴️, a kitchen assistant that empowers people to cook their favourite dishes with ease. We built our appliance to bridge the gap between skill and desire and unlock the ability to cook anything at whim.
Trying and experiencing the delishUp⤴️ is a critical part of the purchase journey of the device. We had been running beta trials of the upliance since it’s first prototype in 2021 and eventually that transformed into a paid 4 day home trial in Bengaluru, a first in the home appliance sector. Our owners take the device home for a weekend and try their hand at any of the recipes they want, get a chance to see how the device fits in their lifestyle and also if they like the taste of the food they are making. The trial experience has been a game changer for us. It establishes confidence in the device, while also giving owners first hand experience of what it’s like to live with the power to cook great food everyday.
Our growth has also been supported by our Owners’ community and their referrals. Once owners ‘unlock the superpower’ to cook at whim, they don’t look back. Many of them have abandoned their old lifestyle of ordering in food, or relying on their help to be able to cook everything they want. A great product and food experience has led to positive word of mouth and they have become our own ambassadors.
We have also recently begun to partner with retail stores across Bengaluru and are also now available on Amazon & Flipkart so we can deliver across the country. Setting up our own mini experience centre in HSR Layout, Bengaluru has allowed us to meet more prospective owners and also give them a taste of what they could be cooking at home.
- What are the key initiatives or strategies to achieve this ambitious growth target?
Up⤴️ is a smart home appliance company and we believe connected appliances should exist and they should work like magic. The technology for that exists today, it’s just the devices that need to be designed and built. This is the premise that kickstarted the journey for us and is what will drive us through the future.
Over the next five years, our goal is to establish upliance.ai as the go-to home upliances brand for young India. We are currently focusing on making the delishUp⤴️ a household name and have it in over 150,000 homes across the country within this year. We want to introduce 1000+ more recipes on the delishUp⤴️by end of the year. You will see a Pro and a Light version of the delishUp⤴️ in the market very soon. In the long run, we aim to create more products like delishUp⤴️ that will elevate young homes in India and beyond. We will begin working on innovative versions of the Microwaves and Refrigerator too in the future.
upliance.ai aims to be in 1.5 lakh homes across the country by the end of the year, with a revenue target of INR 150 crores by FY25. The consumer appliance industry is a $30B industry in India with a 14% CAGR. We expect to capture 20% of this market over 8 years.
- How do you envision AI continuing to shape the home appliance industry in the coming years?
In today’s fast-paced world, smart technologies have become an integral part of our daily lives, transforming the way we interact with our homes. The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) and advancements in artificial intelligence have given rise to a new generation of intelligent home appliances. Imagine a home where your appliances anticipate your needs, respond to voice commands, and operate effortlessly in sync with your lifestyle. One of the biggest advantages of smart connected home appliances would be their ability to personalize user experiences. As they gather data on user preferences and usage patterns, they can provide valuable insights and recommendations. For instance, a smart coffee maker can remember your preferred brew strength and serve your favorite coffee at the perfect temperature, enhancing your morning routine. While the future of smart connected home appliances in India is promising, there are challenges to address. Security and privacy concerns regarding data collected by these appliances need to be addressed effectively. Also when the demand for them increases, manufacturers will have to focus on affordability and accessibility to ensure a broader adoption.
- Can you provide an overview of the current landscape for consumer hardware startups in India?
The landscape for consumer hardware startups in India is fast paced and rapidly evolving. India’s consumer hardware startup ecosystem has significant growth across various sectors. Major areas were smartphones and electronics, smart home devices, wearables, electric mobility, consumer robotics, and energy-efficient home appliances. Electric Vehicle startups like Ather Energy contributed to the country’s transition toward eco-friendly transportation, and some pioneering ventures explored consumer robotics and AI-driven home appliances like delishUp⤴️ & Nimble. Despite growth, challenges persisted, including manufacturing complexities and intense competition from international giants. . The start ups benefited from increased investor interest and government initiatives such as “Make in India” and “Startup India.
- In what ways do Indian consumer brands differentiate themselves from Western counterparts?
India is culturally different from the west, however in the home appliances segment most products have been passovers from the west. Indian brands that do well, are not selling repurposed or repositioned products from the west to India, they are rethinking products and their impact (emotional and effort wise) before bringing them out, brands like Atomberg, Onida, Symphony, Havells, and Tata Motors are testament to this. Understanding consumers through research, conversations and interactions has shown us that the Indian consumer is a value seeker and educated not only by the internet but also their peers. Problems people face are also different, it’s important that products and brand address them.
- How does Upliance.AI see the role of AI evolving in consumer hardware products beyond home appliances?
We’re excited about the future of AI-powered home appliances, mainly because this area hasn’t seen much change in a long time. Devices like the delishUp⤴️️️ are making meal planning easier, helping cut down on food waste, and making cooking more efficient. And they’re only going to get better.
As a company, our goal for the next five years is to be the top brand for smart home appliances among young Indians. We’re working hard to make delishUp⤴️️️ a well-known name, and we want it to be in over 150,000 homes across the country by the end of this year. We want AI-based cooking to be a part of more households. To stay ahead, we’re constantly improving what we offer. Our recent addition,ChefGPT, elevates our smart appliance to a whole new level.
Our larger vision is to create new and smart products like microwaves and refrigerators that connect to the internet. We aim to make homes more exciting by adding smart appliances and helping young people make the most of their households.
