In a country where heatwaves scorch, winters bite, and electricity isn’t always a guarantee, comfort often feels like a luxury — especially in rural areas, disaster zones, or power-starved urban pockets. But what if heating and cooling didn’t need a power source at all? What if science could step in where infrastructure falls short?
Hyderabad-based innovator Satyanarayana Kuchibatla has been turning that ‘what if’ into reality with Latent Heat2Comfort, a pioneering startup that leverages the principles of thermal energy storage to create instant, electricity-free solutions for both heating and cooling. The company’s technology is a testament to how simple science, applied smartly, can drive sustainable change and human resilience. Satyanarayana gives us the hot and cold picture in an insightful conversation.
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Could you take us back to your early years — was science always a part of your childhood curiosity?
As a child, I enthusiastically participated in science exhibitions and developed unique models. I was very fortunate to have always had phenomenal mentors, be it for my school summer project on how seawater influences corrosion of steel, to my doctoral thesis on why two different bottles consisting of the same nanoparticles have different colours. All my projects were driven by curiosity, unlike most cases where a predefined problem is solved.
My deep interest in science motivated me to do a master’s degree in particulate materials from IIT Bombay and a PhD in materials science and engineering from the University of Central Florida. I bring years of research experience and training with a broad focus on surfaces and interfaces — understanding, controlling, and tuning the characteristics of materials that have an impact on nuclear energy, fuel cells, gas sensors, self-healing, radiation protection materials, and nanoparticles for biomedical applications.
Where did the idea for LatentHeat2Comfort come from?
It all started with a simple thought: I wanted to warm up milk on the go — without any electricity or hot water — for my daughter during long drives. After discussing this with peers, we realised we could explore certain exothermic reactions and provide controlled heating. With 100% indigenous resources, we created a feeding bottle warmer prototype.
Although we realised soon that this required a lot of time and money, the experience was a stepping stone of sorts, giving us the confidence to create other products that offered warming solutions. This is how LatentHeat2Comfort was founded.
We wanted to aim high — and where did we find a problem waiting to be solved? High altitudes, where our Army personnel have to battle harsh weather. So, we created StayWarm, a 100% made-in-India innovation which provides lasting and comfortable warmth without any need for power supply or batteries. Palm-sized pouches that conveniently fit in pockets, gloves, or shoes provide six to eight hours of warmth.
We have two flagship products: StayWarm (variants: hand, foot, body, sleeping bag warmers) and NeoWarm, an instant, portable, non-electric warm blanket for the prevention of hypothermia in newborn babies. Once activated, the newborn child can be supported by NeoWarm without the use of any electricity, hot water, or expensive equipment for up to eight hours. After use, it can be safely disposed of with solid waste.
Our products are simple to use: just tear open the external packet, expose the inside pouch to air, shake it, and experience the warmth.
Could you explain the core physics that drive your products? How do you apply principles like latent heat, phase change materials (PCMs), and thermodynamics to wearable solutions?
Unlike some of the solutions based on PCMs and polymer gel-based products, which require some external source of energy for activation — such as electricity or hot water — the heating solutions we offer intelligently combine indigenously sourced materials such as iron, salt, water, etc., and pack them in such a way that, upon exposure to air (and brief shaking), heat is generated. In simple terms, we intelligently exploit the corrosion of iron, a reaction that generates heat in a controlled manner.
How do you ensure user safety and comfort while working with high-energy thermal materials?
Our team managed to tune the duration and develop significant control over the temperature as per the need. The packaging and formulation are developed after thorough research to ensure we have control over the temperature. The fundamental advantage is that all the heating solutions are designed independently of the textile — the end user can receive the required warmth even at high altitudes.
Tell us about your cooling solutions.
During our interactions with civilians, healthcare professionals, and defence forces in India, we repeatedly faced critical questions — since India is a tropical country, with hot and humid weather in most states, could we actually generate a cold pack which becomes cool without refrigeration?
This resulted in QuiQool, an instant, portable, non-electric, point-of-care cold pack. Through the iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) challenge, which we won, our team made QuiQool offer instant cold vests for firefighters in the Indian Navy. This globally unique product has been tried on board and at simulated firefighting chambers and approved for use. A new variant, with an option to reuse, is currently under development for other firefighting crews and those working in harsh environments.
What’s your take on Hyderabad’s startup ecosystem, especially for science-driven ventures?
We are very grateful to the Hyderabad startup ecosystem, especially to IKP Knowledge Park, for hand-holding and supporting our journey. As part of the iDEX challenge, we started interactions with T-Hub as a partner incubator and have been recognised by T-Hub as an emerging startup in dual-use (defence and civilian) technologies. And, contrary to stories of competitive startups, I have to say that other startups have always been friendly and supportive.
What new products or categories are you currently working on?
Very recently, our team developed another first-of-its-kind product in India that offers perineal pain relief after natural delivery. QuiQool (Perineal Cold Pack) allows cold compression in the perineal region while also absorbing the discharge from mothers. A number of gynaecologists and obstetricians appreciated this product and trials are underway.
Our peri-operative Thermal Wrap for the prevention of hypothermia before, during, and after-surgery scenarios is currently being validated.
To reiterate, all our products are 100% made in India in an ISO 13485:2016 certified facility and have CE marks (indicating that the manufacturer or importer declares it meets the EU’s health, safety, and environmental protection standards). Some products have also been approved by the Ministry of Health (UAE) and CDSCO (India).