Swapping hydrogen cylinders for on-site generation

This article is a part of Startup Spotlight, a series that features young, up-and-coming startups.

Image credit: Timmy Loen

While researching electrochemistry at the National University of Singapore, Dr. Goutam Dalapati and Dr. Manipaddy Krishna Kumar met mid-sized Indian industrial operators.

These precision manufacturers relied on vulnerable, truck-delivered hydrogen. The pair launched Hydgen to build decentralized generation systems.

😟 Problem

Facilities use hydrogen as a primary process gas for diamond production and semiconductor fabrication. Typically, manufacturers buy it in compressed cylinders, paying heavily for liquefaction and transport.

This setup creates severe operational risks, as these facilities rely on an external distribution network, unexpected delivery delays can halt operations entirely.

💡 Solution

Hydgen designs and builds modular electrolyzer systems that generate hydrogen on demand. These units integrate directly into a customer’s existing production infrastructure.

The platform provides specific operational advantages that includes:

• Modular architecture allows capacity to scale seamlessly by deploying multiple units in parallel.
• On-demand generation removes the need for large storage buffers and minimum order quantities.
• Decentralized sizing explicitly fits mid-sized manufacturers who cannot justify massive regional distribution networks.

Photo credit: Hydgen

📊 Market size

The global hydrogen equipment market reaches up to US$3 billion. In India alone, operators run up to 10,000 diamond reactors requiring a 99% hydrogen gas mixture. The addressable customer base spans several thousand facilities across APAC.

🤝 Team

• Dr. Michael Gryseels. Executive chairman and Co-founder. He guides the company’s corporate strategy and scaling efforts, bringing executive experience from his time as a managing partner at McKinsey & Company.
• Dr. Goutam Dalapati. CTO and Co-founder. He oversees the startup’s core technology and research development, drawing on his background in electrochemistry materials at the National University of Singapore.
• Dr. Krishna Kumar. COO and Co-founder. He manages day-to-day industrial production, leading the startup’s systems engineering and manufacturing facility in Mangalore.

🚀 Traction

• Generated US$258,067 in audited revenue during the 2025-2026 financial year.
• Deployed 13 live electrolyzer systems at customer sites in FY2025.
• Achieved 99.99% hydrogen purity and 48 kWh/kg energy efficiency in production.
• Built a near-term commercial pipeline of roughly 1,400 kW across multiple industries.

🏆 Competition

💰 Financials

🚩 Risks