TeraLumen Solutions is building the terahertz technology industry in India from the ground up. For a long time, terahertz technology remained confined to research laboratories due to the high cost and complexity of sourcing necessary equipment.
Jotirmayi Dash, founder, CEO, and Managing Director of TeraLumen Solutions, based in Chennai, decided to overcome this limitation. She encountered this technology during her doctoral dissertation when the devices she used were imported, often at exorbitant prices.
Dash notes: 'Most of the devices I used during my postgraduate studies were imported from Germany and the USA, and the cost approached 1.1 crore rupees.' She added: 'Considering this, after graduating, I thought: why don't we do it here?'
The company was founded in 2019 and initially focused on applying terahertz technology for tumor boundary detection, partially inspired by a close friend's cancer diagnosis. Since then, its activities have expanded to industrial inspection and research equipment.
Currently, the company has 25 employees and manufactures both hardware and software in-house. Among its products are the TeraXPLOR research and spectroscopy system; the TeraNIM non-destructive testing platform for industries such as aerospace, automotive, and oil and gas; and the TeraMargin tumor boundary detection technology. The TeraXPLOR and TeraNIM products were commercialized in 2024, while TeraMargin is undergoing clinical trials.
From Expensive Imports to Commercial Products
The founder explains that the startup's industrial systems use terahertz waves to inspect materials without damaging them. This includes applications such as thickness measurement, coating application, and defect detection. The company's current website features specialized TeraNIM systems for the aerospace, automotive, and oil and gas sectors, as well as TeraXPLOR for research and TeraMargin for biomedical needs.
Meanwhile, TeraMargin is designed to identify cancerous tissue boundaries using terahertz imaging and artificial intelligence. It is intended to provide fast, reagent-free tissue imaging, with the current platform targeting a boundary accuracy of 1 mm. TeraLumen sells its systems as ready-made products rather than primarily as a service. Pricing is customized depending on the application area and level of customization, with Dash estimating the lower limit at around 25 lakh rupees. She emphasizes that the company has managed to reduce the cost of its systems by approximately 30% compared to imported counterparts.
The company has also built its business on close interaction with clients. TeraLumen currently has seven clients, most of whom are B2B, and the founder asserts that the interaction does not end after the sale. Dash says: 'The client works with us, and we work with them. We collaborate very closely with all our clients so far. We work together.' This process has also influenced the products themselves. Dash notes that customer feedback helped TeraLumen develop scanners and integration with robotic manipulators, making the systems more reliable and stable. She recalls: 'The first two products were minimal level products, with the most basic requirements. Over the last two years, taking user preferences into account, our new version of TeraNIM has become much more advanced.'
Building a Global Terahertz Business
By December 2025, TeraLumen raised approximately 10 crore rupees. Dash reports that the company has generated nearly 7 crore rupees in revenue over the past two years and currently holds four patents. Dash believes the company's advantage lies in controlling both the hardware and software, as well as adapting systems to specific industrial tasks. She states: 'Since we do everything ourselves, we have an advantage in understanding customer needs and integrating the solution into the product. We care about customization for the client.'
TeraLumen is also developing signal processing software and integrating AI into its systems to simplify the core technology for end-users. The company claims that its products now demonstrate performance comparable to global suppliers while maintaining a cost advantage. Dash's goal is to become a key global provider of terahertz solutions. She concludes: 'We want to offer more than just a product supplier; we want to offer comprehensive integrated solutions for industries.'
TeraLumen Solutions is part of the Tech30 cohort from YourStory—a showcase of India's most promising startups for 2026, presented at the TechSparks event in Bengaluru.