C Electric, Crink, Oppam Raise Funding for Product Development

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Two Kerala-based fledgling companies – Crink, an innovative AI platform focused on empowering working families through harmony between home and office, and C Electric Automotive, a deep-tech EV startup — have raised funding from investors that would accelerate development of their innovative products and deepen market access.

The two companies announced it today at the ongoing Huddle Global 2025, India’s largest beachside startup festival organised by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) at Kovalam, near here. Meanwhile, Kozhikode-based vernacular mental wellness platform ‘Oppam’ that offers 24-hours therapy sessions also raised Rs 1.5 crore from Angels and Angel Networks.

Crink, founded by Rustum Usman, Mariyam Vidhu Vijayan, and Sruthi PR, raised Rs 1.8 crore in pre-seed funding from Dr Sherbaz Bichu, CEO of Aster Middle East and Abad Group. The investment will fuel development of the company’s ground-breaking solution, especially its mental health support and psychological wellbeing in the workplace, and facilitate early market access.

Driven by the motive that workplace well-being is a critical business imperative, Crink’s mission is to empower working families to achieve both professional excellence and personal growth. The platform combines cutting-edge AI technology with human expertise to deliver long-term coaching support tailored to the unique challenges faced by working professionals juggling multiple responsibilities.

The company has developed innovative evaluation frameworks that integrate psychologist oversight for psychological use cases, a key intellectual property that ensures ethical, evidence-based AI interventions. This AI-plus-human model bridges the gap between scalable technology and personalised mental health support.

“Working families today face unprecedented challenges in balancing career ambitions with family responsibilities,” said Mariyam Vidhu. “Crink’s vision is to be more than just another wellness app. We’re building a trusted, long-term coach that understands the complexities of modern family life and provides meaningful support that drives real outcomes.”

C Electric Automotive, a Kochi-headquartered company developing India’s next generation of intelligent electric powertrain systems, announced that Seafund, a top venture capital investment firm, has invested in the company that underscores shift from EV assembly to ownership of core powertrain intelligence.

With more than 150,000 units deployed on Indian roads, the company’s technology has demonstrated reliability at scale and earned growing confidence from OEM partners.

C Electric is building a fully indigenous (not licensed or assembled) powertrain intelligence stack that integrates motor control and vehicle control. The platform includes proprietary firmware, control algorithms, safety logic, diagnostics, and system-level optimization, designed for Indian operating conditions.

“The investment reflects Seafund’s conviction that India’s EV opportunity lies not only in adoption and manufacturing scale, but in owning the core intelligence that powers vehicles,” said Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Managing Partner, Seafund,

Bavil Varghese, co-founder & CEO, C Electric Automotive, said “We started C Electric with a simple intent—to build core powertrain intelligence, not assemble systems. Owning our firmware, control algorithms, and safety architecture allows OEMs to build EV platforms they truly control. Seafund understands the depth and patience required to build such technology, and this partnership helps us accelerate both scale and capability.”