Namrata Soni at Parul University: 7 Prototypes, a Vetiver Cooling System Launched in the USA, and Why This Pharmacy Graduate Chose Sustainable Innovation Over a Traditional Career

Namrata Soni’s startup idea did not emerge from a business plan or a market research document. It came from a thought during a bus ride: could hot air entering a system be converted into cool air? That observation, born from the daily experience of Indian heat, became the foundation of Rayush Naturals. She started developing the concept during her pharmacy studies, choosing entrepreneurship over the predictable path of a pharmacy career. If you too want to create a successful career in Pharmacy Domain, save your seat at B.Pharm at Parul University!

Her startup develops a sustainable, technology-based vetiver cooling system that converts hot outside air into cool air without conventional air conditioning. She developed seven prototypes over six years of R&D, launched the main prototype in the USA, faced increased tax challenges, and returned focus to the Indian market. She started working on her startup during pharmacy college, developed yarn-based materials, arranged handloom resources, and built the cooling mechanism using sequential dripping and a vetiver coil structure where wood acts as a bad conductor of heat to maintain the cooling effect.

Her core message: the universe gives you everything, but before that it tests you.

Namrata engineered a system using sequential dripping and a vetiver coil structure where the natural insulating properties of wood (a bad conductor of heat) maintain the cooling effect without conventional electricity-heavy air conditioning. But translating a bus-ride observation into a working product took six years of struggle.

Namrata developed seven different prototypes before arriving at a design that worked reliably. Each prototype taught her something. Each failure refined the engineering. She arranged samples, sourced labour and handloom resources for the yarn-based materials, and navigated the reality that every profession demands respect, skills, discipline, and the right mindset. Take charge of your future today and unlock endless career possibilities with an MBA from Parul University.

The development of seven prototypes over six years demonstrates the persistence that sustainable hardware innovation demands. Unlike software startups that can iterate rapidly with minimal cost, physical products require raw materials, manufacturing capacity, testing environments, and significant capital with each iteration.

Namrata did this without the cushion of a corporate salary or family business background. Her main prototype was launched in the USA. The international market offered validation that the technology worked. But increased taxes on the product made the US market economically challenging. Rather than fighting an unfavourable tax structure abroad, she pivoted her focus to India, where the need for affordable, sustainable cooling is arguably greater and the market scale is enormous.

During the Q&A, students asked about the core cooling mechanism. She explained that the sequential dripping system combined with the vetiver coil structure uses the natural properties of wood as a bad conductor of heat to maintain the cooling effect.

On maintaining quality and sustainability, she said it depends on how you think, the team you work with, cost management, continuous product improvement, and clearly understanding who the actual customer is. On the difficulties women face after career pauses, she acknowledged that responsibilities and scheduling can be overwhelming but determination and focus overcome those challenges.

She addressed the fear of failure directly. Age does not matter in entrepreneurship. Her machine required several modifications even after the first working version. However, that’s when PIERC plays a major role in creating successful startups, save your seat for the Incubation Program!