Startup Story #51: Samiep – Innovative Valve For Precise Liquid Dispensing

July 31, 2017

An idea that has germinated in the mind can take days, months or even years before it can be realised. For Satish Pathak, it took years.

He conceived the idea called ‘Digital Controlled Valve for Precise Liquid Dispensing by Gravity Flow’ and patented it in 2006.

In 2016, he became the first Indian to receive an award for Excellence in Technical Innovation by the International Society of Automation for his invention. He also received the Gold Medal at the Serbian Exhibition of Inventions for the same.

It was only in May 2017 that he could to start his own venture, Samiep, that offers valve technology standardised to every industry’s needs.

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Pathak initially worked with National Rayon Corporation Limited (NRC) after graduating as an instrumentation engineer. Leaving the job at NRC after working there for more than four years was a decision that met with severe backlash, “It was a very comfortable life. The work was great. I had nothing to worry about. But, in my free time, I used to go to manufacturers and ask them about their pain points. I wanted a complete holistic view of automation. Many people discouraged me from leaving because they said that it was a wrong decision. But I wanted to learn more and expand my skill set. I wanted to think out-of-the-box so I freelanced and handled some automation projects.”

Satish Pathank receiving the ISA Award in 2016

During one such project in 1998, the engineer encountered a company that needed to mix 250 ingredients and used two valves per ingredient to control the rate of coarse flow and fine flow. “The company had made an error in interfacing and control which failed the plant. They wanted to rectify that, but nobody was ready to take up the responsibility of the whole plant. Initially, I gave them a study report with solutions and they wanted me to rectify it. The investment was big so it wasn’t practical to replace the 500 valves with another 500. My intention was to halve this and have just one valve per ingredient,” explains Pathak, who later approached different valve manufacturing companies but none of them thought this was possible. With this kind of technology, any kind of liquid can be dispensed; industries requiring methods of transporting water via piping will be able to make good use of water flow measurement equipment. Sectors like pharmaceutical, dairy, food, chemical, leather, bio-tech, textile and many more, can benefit from this technology.

The buzz for startups has only begun very recently in the country. But for many dreamers and visionaries like Pathak, the ecosystem for starting something new was almost non-existent in the 90s. “Apart from me, there was no one else from my engineering batch who left their jobs to invent. State governments don’t have a science and technology ministry. Everything is in the hands of the central government and is inaccessible. I got a grant from the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2007 but that grant started only in 1998! Even today, investors aren’t able to differentiate between a startup and an innovative technology. I could only start my company after the international recognition that added to my credentials.”

For the future, Pathak only sees increasing interest from clients in different sectors for this unique technology. “I am in talks with ISRO and will conduct some demonstrations for them. I would be very happy to contribute to their cause. Also, there is a lot of interest from Pakistan, since it will soon become a manufacturing hub.”

Recalling the difficulties he had to face to chase his dream, Pathak stresses on the importance of having the right support from friends and family. “It isn’t just about the startup ecosystem but the ecosystem at home also matters a lot. I am the first engineer and entrepreneur in my family. For my parents, having a job and a house was enough.

With today’s generation, communication is at their fingertips. But it is very important to know how to shake hands with the right investor. Money can come very easily but you still have to prove yourself.”

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