Tan90: Dr. Soumalya Mukherjee on Decentralizing the Cold Chain and Empowering Farmers
In the heart of India's agricultural belt, a silent crisis unfolds every year: billions of rupees worth of produce rot because of a broken cold chain. Dr. Soumalya Mukherjee, Co-founder of Tan90, is tackling this problem with a mathematical precision—fittingly, his company is named after the trigonometric value for infinity. By replacing massive, centralized cold storages with modular, portable units, Tan90 is bringing the technology directly to the farm gate, ensuring that a farmer's hard work doesn't go to waste.
Soumalya's journey from a PhD scholar at IIT Madras to a grassroots entrepreneur was never planned. "I always wanted to stay in academia," he admits. "But in the lab, I realized that while our research was good for papers, it wasn't reaching the people who needed it most. There is a 'valley of death' between research and execution, and I wanted to build the bridge." This led him to co-found Tan90 in 2019, leveraging the support of IIT Madras's incubation cell to move from biotechnology formulas to business solutions.
The Problem with Centralization
India doesn't just lack cold storage; it lacks accessible cold storage. "Centralized storages are like massive warehouses where only a few have access," Soumalya explains. "If a farmer has to travel hours to store their fish or vegetables, the cost and wastage kill the profit. Tan90 turns any room or vehicle into a cold storage unit, decentralizing the power and the profit."
Infinity Problems, Infinite Happiness
The name Tan90 (which equals infinity) reflects the team's philosophy. "When we started, we realized there are infinite problems in the supply chain," Soumalya notes. "But we also realized that if you solve a problem at the grassroots level—like increasing a farmer's income by preventing wastage—the joy you provide is also infinite. That's what keeps us going through the 90% of the time when things go wrong in a startup."
By treating farmers as businessmen rather than charity cases, Tan90 has broken the trust gap that often plagues agritech. Their portable units allow farmers to store products at high quality, giving them the leverage to sell directly to customers or wait for better market prices, fundamentally changing the dynamics of the mandi system.
Execution Over Perfection
Soumalya is a firm believer in the power of execution. "Planning is important, but execution is key," he asserts. "No matter how good your marketplace analysis is, you can never understand all the risk points until you are on the field." This agility allowed Tan90 to survive the sudden blow of the 2020 lockdown, where they pivoted quickly to support disrupted logistics and resumed operations within weeks.
He also emphasizes the importance of hiring for temperament rather than just degrees. "We don't care about your college degree. We care if you can step up to a challenge. Solving rural problems is hard; nobody prepares you for it. You need the agility to fit into different segments and the perseverance to stay when the sea gets rough."
Soumalya's Advice for Agritech Founders
- Run to the Market: Before you build, run your idea past real users. Don't rely on research reports; go to the ground and talk to farmers.
- Don't Love Your Product: Your product is your baby, but the market doesn't care. If you love it too much, you'll ignore the feedback that's needed to make it work.
- It's a Marathon: Entrepreneurship is not a sprint. Pace yourself, don't be impulsive, and don't take failures personally.
- Agility is Vital: In rural segments, psychological barriers are real. You need a team that can adapt to local languages, stay in villages, and build trust slowly.
The Vision for Southeast Asia
Looking ahead, Soumalya’s vision for Tan90 is to become the first name that comes to mind when anyone thinks of cold chain logistics, not just in India, but across Southeast Asia. He is currently working on modular processing plants that can empower farmers at the farm level, continuing his mission to turn "research into reality" and ensure that the fruits of Indian labor are preserved for the world.
Tan90 Impact
- Scale: Operating across 11+ states in India within the first year.
- Clients: Trusted by state governments (Tamil Nadu, Kerala) and corporate giants like Murugappa Group.
- Innovation: Modular units that transform any space into a high-efficiency cold room.
About the Guest
Dr. Soumalya Mukherjee is the Co-founder of Tan90. A graduate of NIT Durgapur and a PhD from IIT Madras, Soumalya has a deep background in biotechnology and chemistry. Before turning entrepreneur, he was a pre-doctoral researcher at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Soumalya is a visionary leader who is passionate about using technology to drive social impact and is a recognized figure in the Indian agritech community. He is dedicated to bridging the gap between academic research and commercial execution.
Tan90 is a cold chain logistics startup that provides portable and energy-efficient cold storage solutions. By decentralizing the cold chain, Tan90 enables farmers and businesses to reduce post-harvest losses, maintain product quality, and access new markets, ultimately driving efficiency and sustainability in the agricultural supply chain.