HYDGEN, a deeptech startup building industrial-scale green hydrogen solutions, has secured $5 million in a combination of equity and debt funding. The round was led by Transition VC, with participation from Cloudberry Pioneer Investments (Europe), Moringa Ventures (Singapore), and strategic family offices from India and Singapore.
The company plans to deploy the capital to deliver ultra-pure and cost-efficient hydrogen directly at the point of use through its proprietary Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) electrolyser technology, according to its announcement.
“Many discuss hydrogen’s focus on its role in a clean energy future, but the urgent opportunity is about enabling industries to have hydrogen where and when they need it, with purity they can trust,” said Dr Manippady Krishna Kumar, Co-founder and COO of HYDGEN. “Our AEM electrolysers allow companies to produce hydrogen on-site at a competitive cost, solving supply chain challenges today while preparing them for the broader transition to green hydrogen in the years ahead.”
Founded by Dr Manippady Krishna Kumar, Dr Michael Gryseels, and Dr Goutam Dalapati, the company offers proprietary stack designs ranging from 1 kW to 100 kW and scaling up to 250 kW. These modular systems enable industries to produce ultra-high-purity hydrogen reliably and with lower capex requirements, directly at their own facilities. HYDGEN’s platform combines features of alkaline systems with the efficiency of proton-exchange membrane technology without relying on platinum-group metals, helping industries cut logistics costs while improving supply dependability.
“HYDGEN is the first team we’ve seen capable of scaling AEM electrolysers to true industrial levels while maintaining cost leadership. This is no longer a research initiative but a commercially ready platform serving industries already dependent on hydrogen today,” said Mohamed Shoeb Ali, Managing Partner at Transition VC.
“Decarbonisation needs solutions that are both green and practical. HYDGEN’s decentralised model makes hydrogen generation more efficient and accessible. The company plans to use the funds to upgrade its Mangalore facility to a semi-automated line, scale its single-stack capacity to 250 kW, and expand into Japan, Europe, and the Middle East—markets seeing strong policy support for industrial hydrogen,” added Khoong Hock Yun, Managing Partner at Moringa Ventures.
