Kushal
Lokesh

Engineer, Inventor, Founder and CTO.

Kushal Lokesh is a mechanical engineer turned full-stack founder. He holds six granted patents from his years in Schneider Electric's Wiring Devices R&D, founded Kluarc Technologies — a bootstrapped AR studio whose products shipped worldwide for Mitel and were built alongside Mercedes-Benz R&D — and built Web3onwards, a 2,000-student product-building community across three Bengaluru campuses.

He is now Technical Director & CTO of Membrane, a live attention marketplace that has paid ₹28.9 lakh to more than 5,000 verified earners — grown almost entirely by referral.

Kushal Lokesh
Bengaluru · est. 2012
Fourteen yearsScrub the track
2012
About / the fourteen-year arc

Fourteen years of building things that ship.

I started by proving I could invent inside a giant: a plug-and-play electrical system that went from a hand-built prototype on my desk to the CEO's table and four countries of patents. Then I left to own the whole thing.

Kluarc was where a ten-person bootstrapped team built AR products that Mitel shipped worldwide and Mercedes-Benz engineers built alongside. Kluarc taught me that great products with no distribution stall — so the next thing I built was distribution itself.

Web3onwards is two thousand students across three campuses learning to build on open foundations. Membrane is where all of it lands: a marketplace that pays those students for verified attention, priced by measured behaviour, grown almost entirely by referral.

The through-line: full production systems end to end — hardware, identity, ML scoring, payments, marketplaces — and shipping them. Not slideware.

Now

Technical Director & CTO, Membrane (NFThing) · Director, NFThing Limited, London. Operating founder-executive across tech, product, growth and ops.

B.E. Mechanical Engineering, R.V. College of Engineering — First Class with Distinction. Formula SAE Italy 2011 with Ashwa Racing.

6granted patents, 4 jurisdictions
€150KCEO-backed MVP funding at Schneider
7countries Mitel AR shipped to
2,000+students onboarded, zero ad spend
11,880Membrane sign-ups, 65% by referral
₹28.9Lpaid to 5,284 verified earners
Chapter 01 / 2012 — 2017 · five years

Schneider Electric

Product Engineer — Mechanical · design · product engineering

Invented plug-and-play switches and sockets, built the prototypes by hand and took them to the CEO — €150K of MVP funding and six patents in four countries. Best of the graduate batch in year one.

6granted patents · in force to 2036
4inventions
€150KCEO-backed MVP
3products designed end to end
1stnamed inventor · US EP CN IN
#1graduate engineer of batch 2013
The invention · demo film

Plug-and-play switches & sockets

Live, neutral and earth — wherever you put it · 6 patents · US EP CN IN · €150K MVP
Watch on YouTube ↗
2017 · Innovative Idea · demo film

The pop-up socket

A flush 6/16A socket that rises out of the worksurface — driven by the plug itself, no motor · IN 413892, granted 2022
Watch on YouTube ↗
2015 · executive sponsorship

Presented to the CEO

  • Pitched personally to Jean-Pascal Tricoire
  • A full-time engineer, a prototyping budget, a launch mandate for Europe or India
  • India R&D reframed: cost centre → product-innovation centre
€150Kinternal MVP funding · 2015

Because of this invention, India R&D went from a cost centre to a product-innovation centre — and was recognised across Schneider for building disruptive innovations.

2019 – 2022 · granted

Six patents, four jurisdictions

  • First-named inventor on the universal installation system
  • In force to 2036 and 2039
US 10,411,420 B2Universal · US
EP 3089293 B1Universal · EU
CN 106099561 BUniversal · CN
IN 489/KOL/2015Universal · IN
EP 3534472 B1Install. box · EU
IN 413892Pop-up socket · IN
Most Promising Newcomer 2013 trophy
Innovision 2014 Runner-Up trophy
2013

Most Promising Newcomer

Best engineer of the graduate batch, Schneider Electric India.

2014

Innovision Runner-Up

One of 150 ideas — for plug-and-play switches and sockets.

Mureva Styl

Weatherproof switches & sockets

IP55IK08Surface & flushIn catalogue

Product owner for the entire switch family — every switch type in the range, including the IP44 waterproofing of the switch.

Multifix Ultra

Flush-mounting installation box

Hollow-wall clawsStandard → high-endEP 3534472 B1

Product owner & product designer of the complete box, alongside a technical lead.

Mureva Styl weatherproof switch, cover open
Mureva Styl · switch film ▶
Multifix Ultra boxes installed in a partition
Chapter 02 / 2018 — 2023 · five years
kluarc
Co-founder, CEO & CTO — AR · enterprise · bootstrapped

Built Mitel's global-winning AR app, shipped to seven countries. Selected by Daimler to build with Mercedes-Benz engineers. Runner-up at the nasscom ai × IBM Grand Challenge. Nine people, no outside funding.

Hired 0. Closed 0 B2B clients, 0 of them enterprise. Shipped to 0 countries. Won 0 recognitions. Raised ₹0.

Mercedes-Benz outcome pitch: i-Tester, credited to Kushal Lokesh, Co-founder, Kluarc TechnologiesStartup Autobahn India · Expo Day · 4 Sep 2020
Daimler · Mercedes-Benz R&D India · 2020
Built i-Tester with Mercedes‑Benz R&D India
One of four startups in Startup Autobahn India, Batch 2. Pitched the outcome with MBRDI engineers at Expo Day, 1,000+ attendees.
inView on LinkedIn
1st
Global final · 13 teams
Mitel · global · 2020
Mitel Shark Tank, global winner
1st in India over 30 teams, then the global final over 13, ahead of AI, ML and VR projects. Shipped as Mitel AR.
Runner-up trophy and certificate, AI for Business Grand Challenge
nasscom ai × IBM · Sep 2023
Runner-up, AI for Business Grand Challenge
Customer Care category, for AR Remote Assistance evolved with AI. LinkedIn ↗
Nasscom 10000 Startups showcase, January 2022, featuring Kluarc
Nasscom 10000 Startups · Jan 2022
Startups Showcase feature
January 2022 edition; AR Remote Assistance also listed in the NIPP Open Innovation Bulletin.

Three products, three slides

The product → the timeline → the achievement
01Mitel ARBuilt on Cat360 · Mitel · Android + iOS · 2020
Mitel AR · point the phone at a MiVoice device · tap to play

Point a phone at a Mitel desk phone. The app recognises the model and lays its manual over it in 3D: catalogue, setup steps, troubleshooting. Underneath is Cat360, our engine for turning any OEM's paper manual into a camera-aware guide; Mitel AR is Cat360 under Mitel's brand.

  1. 2019 · BangaloreStarted with Mitel's Bangalore team, not head office.

    Cat360 already existed as an engine. We built the Mitel version with the local team as an internal innovation entry.

  2. Round one · IndiaEntered Mitel's internal Shark Tank.

    Placed 1st in India over 30 teams.

  3. Round two · globalWon the global final over 13 teams.

    Judged ahead of AI, ML and VR projects from across the company.

  4. 2020 · the licenceMitel adopted it as their own app.

    White-labelled as Mitel AR. Our engine, their brand — the first time Cat360 was licensed rather than demoed.

  5. Release · worldwideShipped to installers and channel partners in 7 countries.

    USA, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden. Google Play and the App Store; still listed.

1st in India over 30 teams in Mitel's internal Shark Tank, then global winner over 13 finalists, ahead of AI, ML and VR projects. Mitel released it worldwide as their own app: 7 countries, Google Play and the App Store.

1st India · 1st global · shipped worldwide
7countries · USA, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden
2stores · Google Play + App Store
1OEM licensing the engine
▶ Watch the demoGoogle Play ↗App Store ↗
02AR Remote AssistanceB2B SaaS · 2019 – 23 · evolved with AI, 2023
AR Remote Assistance · the expert draws on the live view

A video call where the expert draws on the customer's live camera view, and the drawing stays pinned to the real part. A digital twin of the machine sits beside the call, so “rotate that component” arrives as an arrow on the component.

  1. 2019 · launchLaunched as B2B SaaS for OEM after-sales teams.

    Video call plus AR annotations pinned to the real part, with a digital twin beside the call.

  2. DeploymentA support team taken remote in 24 hours.

    Roughly 40% less machine downtime once experts could point instead of fly.

  3. Jan 2022 · NasscomFeatured in the Nasscom 10000 Startups showcase.

    Also listed in the NIPP Open Innovation Bulletin.

  4. 2023 · the pivotEvolved with AI for customer care.

    The same remote-assistance core, extended with AI for support workflows.

  5. Sep 2023 · nasscom ai × IBMRunner-up, AI for Business Grand Challenge.

    Customer Care category.

~40% less machine downtime, a support team taken remote in 24 hours. Featured in the Nasscom NIPP Open Innovation Bulletin, January 2022. Evolved with AI for customer care: Runner-up, Customer Care category, AI for Business Grand Challenge by nasscom ai and IBM, September 2023.

Runner-up · nasscom ai × IBM · Sep 2023
~40%less machine downtime
24hrsto take a support team remote
2ndnasscom ai × IBM Grand Challenge, Customer Care
Full demo ↗
03i-TesterMercedes-Benz R&D India · Startup Autobahn India, Batch 2 · 2020
i-Tester outcome pitch slide, Mercedes-BenzStartup Autobahn India Expo Day 2020
Expo Day outcome pitch · credited “Kushal Lokesh, Co-founder, Kluarc Technologies”

A design-data platform that records how engineers design in CAD, not just the file they end with: every feature, input, setting and error, in sequence. From that, user design profiles, an error-analysis algorithm and test cases generated automatically. Groundwork for AI in CAD design.

  1. 2020 · applicationApplied to Startup Autobahn India, Daimler's open-innovation programme at MBRDI.

    Pitched a CAD / ML idea: capture how engineers design, not just what they design.

  2. SelectionSelected — one of four startups in Batch 2.

    Alongside Fluid AI, Get My Parking and Flutura Decision Sciences.

  3. The buildBuilt i-Tester with MBRDI engineers embedded.

    Structured capture of the design process, user design profiles, an error-analysis algorithm, automated test-case creation.

  4. 4 Sep 2020 · Expo DayPitched the outcome with MBRDI engineers at the programme's first virtual Expo Day.

    1,000+ attendees. Keynotes from Mercedes-Benz's VP Digital & IT and SAP Labs India's MD.

Selected by Daimler as one of four startups for Startup Autobahn India, Batch 2, alongside Fluid AI, Get My Parking and Flutura. Built with MBRDI engineers and pitched with them at the programme's first virtual Expo Day, 4 September 2020, in front of 1,000+ attendees, with keynotes from Mercedes-Benz's VP Digital & IT and SAP Labs India's MD.

Selected by Daimler · Startup Autobahn India
1of 4startups in the batch
1,000+Expo Day attendees
1enterprise pilot · Mercedes-Benz R&D India
Mercedes-Benz R&D India on LinkedIn ↗
Also built: Klu-Project, Klu-Walk, Klu-360 and Klu-Portal for real estate · AR 3D Navigation, the first product, pitched to Facebook via T-Hub seven weeks after incorporation · a metaverse events platform for Quest 2 · a PLM product for RGBSI.Clients: Mitel · Mercedes-Benz R&D India · RGBSI · five real-estate clients
Chapter 03 / 2023 — now
web3onwards
Founder & Director — Community · mentoring · product

Built a 2,000-student product community from a lecture hall, across three campuses on ₹0 of ads, then built the products it graduated into.

web3onwards.com ↗@web3onwards ↗
instagram reel @web3onwards55k+ reel views · 700+ followers · 0 paid
community
2,000+students onboarded · ₹0 ads
campuses
43 MOUs · RIT, BMSIT, BIT · BMSCE taught
sessions
95 in person · 4 online with NFThing staff
mentor
45coached into a shipping team · DeFlix
platform
1,335users · 113 on launch day · 356 peak MAU
judging
2×invited back, 2025 · CODE RED ’25 · amBITion 2.0
team film the teamBengaluru · 2024
01

It started in a lecture hall.

Five in-person sessions across three Bengaluru campuses, 2023 – 24. First why the open web matters, then how to build on it. Hundreds joined the WhatsApp group after each one.

A full lecture hall at Ramaiah Institute of Technology with the web3onwards wordmark on screen
RIT · second session_Web3 exploration · the hall, full
BMSIT students holding posters from the Unlocking Web3's Magic session
BMSIT · second session_Unlocking Web3's Magic
Lecture hall at BMS College of Engineering during the Intro to Web3 and Blockchain session
BMSCE · intro_Intro to Web3 & Blockchain
Group photo, introductory session at Ramaiah Institute of Technology
RIT · intro
Forum Theatre discussion at RIT
RIT · forum theatre
Students on stage under a slide reading Meet the DeFlix Contributors
RIT · DeFlix contributors
Students in a discussion circle at the BMSIT open course
BMSIT · open course
Group game: Building the Internet, BMSIT
BMSIT · building the internet
Classroom group photo at BMSIT
BMSIT · the class
Students presenting posters on stage at BMSIT
BMSIT · poster round
Students working on a poster at BMSIT
BMSIT · teams at work
Panel on Power Structures in Web3 at BMSCE
BMSCE · power structures
Group photo at BMS College of Engineering
BMSCE · the class
Online session: Careers in Web3
online · careers in web3
Online session: Blockchain Technology
online · blockchain
Online session: Wallets and NFTs
online · wallets & NFTs
Online session: Product Management
online · product management
02

Reach was never the problem. Conversion was.

Every row is a room I stood in, a document I signed, or a thing I shipped, in the order it happened. The panel on the left moves with the rows — every dot is a student — and the count keeps up.

  1. Apr 2023Bengaluru

    Wrote the programme, pitched the colleges

    Five onboarding modules — Web3 and blockchain, NFTs, smart contracts and dApps, DeFi, what comes next — ending in coding challenges. Two to five campus ambassadors per college. A weekly / monthly / quarterly calendar of debug sessions, book club, meet-ups, hackathons.

    under NFThing Limited, London_
    the pitchBUILD IT
    DIFFERENTLY
  2. 2023RIT · Mathikere

    Introductory session, Ramaiah Institute of Technology

    Why the open web matters, then how to build on it. Live MetaMask setup in the room; the campus Wi-Fi defeated a few, which is where the QR guide came from. Hundreds joined the WhatsApp group after it.

    Group photo, introductory session at RIT
    RIT · intro_
  3. 2023RIT

    Web3 exploration session, with a forum theatre

    The second RIT session. A forum-theatre round on how power works online, then the hall, full, under the wordmark.

    A full lecture hall at RIT
    RIT · second session_
  4. 2023BMSIT · Yelahanka

    Open course, BMS Institute of Technology

    Smaller room, discussion circle, then a group game — “Building the Internet” — before any code.

    Group game: Building the Internet, BMSIT
    BMSIT · open course_
  5. 2023BMSIT

    “Unlocking Web3’s Magic”

    Second BMSIT session. Teams worked a problem on poster paper and presented from the stage. The room worked as teams, not an audience.

    BMSIT students with posters
    BMSIT · poster round_
  6. 2023BMSCE · Basavanagudi

    Intro to Web3 & Blockchain, BMS College of Engineering

    Taught without an MOU. A student panel on “Power Structures in Web3” in a tiered hall; BMSCE later seeded 1,319 Membrane members.

    taught · no MOU_
    Lecture hall at BMSCE
    BMSCE · intro_
  7. 2023 – 24Discord

    Four online sessions by NFThing staff

    Careers in Web3 (Jyoti) · Blockchain Technology (Aditya) · Wallets & NFTs (Vishal) · Product Management (Aishwarya). Run on the community Discord stage, open to every campus.

  8. 2023 →every campus

    The onboarding engine, built as software

    Session → live wallet → QR guide → /form into a database (wallet optional, upserted later) → WhatsApp and Discord welcome bots, 24- and 36-hour nudges → /mint, an NFT certificate whitelisted by wallet-in-database → shared on LinkedIn, which brought the next cohort. Late joiners got a “Web3 Pioneer” badge. Access is an NFT ID issued only through approved colleges.

    2,000+ students · ₹0 of ads_
    sessionwalletQR/formDBbots/mintLinkedIn↺ next cohort
  9. Sep 2023RIT + BMSIT

    DeFlix kick-off — “IMDb on the blockchain”

    Forty-five students in four teams: frontend, backend, blockchain, UI/UX. PRD and go-to-market written in-house; MVP scoped to four modules — auth, movie database, search, reviews minted as ERC-721 on Polygon. Monthly targets 25 → 50 → 75%; launch pencilled for 15 – 17 December. Built and demoed.

    leads: Vikas · Shashi · Ananda · Rajeshwari · Malavika · Jaya_
    Students on stage under “Meet the DeFlix Contributors”
    meet the contributors_
  10. 21 Dec 2023BIT · V V Puram

    MOU, NFThing Limited × Bangalore Institute of Technology

    Web3onwards BIT chapter: special lectures, workshops, use of labs, internships, the Community Program for selected students; we provide trainers and regular mentorship. Three-year term. Ramaiah Institute of Technology and BMSIT signed the same way in 2023.

    3 MOUs · RIT · BMSIT · BIT_
    the documentMemorandum of
    Understanding    BIT MOU · PDF ↗
  11. Jan 2024BIT · BMSCE

    Partnership decks and the technical-summit plan

    Roadmap for the product-development phase: onboarding session → recruit a core team on interest and commitment → assign to frontend, backend, blockchain, UI/UX, product → mentor through the build. Panel discussions, a Web3 Shark Tank, speed networking, open-mic pitches.

    Monthly targets slide
    deck · targets_
  12. 2024Bengaluru

    The team film, and Team ’23 mentoring Team ’24

    A UI/UX mentorship session run by the first cohort for the second — 2.4k views on the reel, 55k+ across the account, 700+ followers, nothing paid.

    Team 2023 mentoring Team 2024
    reel · 2.4k ↗
  13. 14 Nov 2024web3onwards.com

    The platform launched: 113 sign-ups on day one

    Five tracks, thirty tasks, about forty-five hours, split beginner / intermediate / advanced. Every task page ends in Submit task and Ask on Discord; every track ends in Join product team DeFlix. 1,335 users since, 356 at peak month, 76% direct, announced in campus channels only.

    1,335 users · 113 day one · 356 peak MAU_
    platform film · 2:13_
  14. Jan 2025BMSIT&M

    CODE RED ’25 — evaluation team

    National 25-hour hackathon, 9 – 10 January 2025. Certificate of appreciation for the evaluation team.

    CODE RED '25 certificate
    certificate_
  15. Oct 2025BIT

    amBITion 2.0 — dignitary

    Token of gratitude from the organising team, 4 – 5 October 2025, Bangalore Institute of Technology.

    amBITion 2.0 token of gratitude
    token of gratitude_
  16. now—

    What stayed

    Testimonial slot — one student, one line.

    • Community is distribution. Institutions plus community compounds on its own.
    • Audiences aren’t builders by default. The member → contributor step has to be engineered.
    • The values scale. Web3onwards was Membrane’s first live audience.
    hand-off→ Chapter 04
    Membrane
03

Learning with an exit, not a certificate.

The four words on the Instagram bio are the spine of the whole thing. Each rung ends in a button, not a badge.

platform film · 2:13
web3onwards.com · the platform

Five tracks, thirty tasks, one button at the end.

Every task page ends in Submit task and Ask on Discord; every track ends in Join product team DeFlix. Launched 14 November 2024 with 113 sign-ups on day one, announced in campus channels only.

1,335 users · 356 peak MAU · 76% direct · 0 paid

▶ Watch on YouTube
UPSKILLweb3onwards.com
Homepage spec for web3onwards.com — 45 hours, 5 courses, 30 tasks, join product team DeFlixthe spec
5 tracks · 30 tasks · ~45 hBeginner → intermediate → advanced. Doubts go to Discord, not a ticket queue.
1,335 users · 113 on launch day · 356 peak MAU
CONTRIBUTEthe contributor page
Contributor page slide from the September 2023 Web3onwards deckdeck · sept 2023
Finish all 30, earn a seatEvery shipped name is public: credibility, portfolio material, accountability. Access by NFT ID, through the college.
skill triage after /mint: beginners → the ladder, experienced → straight to product
BUILDDeFlix · built & demoed
DeFlix title card — Your product, your time, your termsflagship
“IMDb on the blockchain”Every review minted as an NFT, nothing editable after the fact. ERC-721 on Polygon. PRD and GTM written in-house; 45 students in four teams from RIT and BMSIT.
frontend · backend · blockchain · UI/UX — leads per team, Discord, calls at 9 pm
GROWTeam ’23 → ’24
Web3onwards Team 2023 mentoring Team 2024 — UI/UX sessionreel · 2.4k▶
Own a team, mentor the next intakeTeam ’23 coached Team ’24. The ladder only works if the people at the top turn around.
55k+ reel views · 700+ followers · 0 paid
Also ran: a campus-ambassador programme · a “Web3 Pioneer” badge for late joiners · the Web3onwards technical-summit plan, with a Web3 Shark Tank and open-mic pitches.Under NFThing Limited, London  ·  Campuses: Ramaiah Institute of Technology · BMSIT · Bangalore Institute of Technology · BMS College of Engineering (taught)  ·  BIT MOU · PDF ↗
Chapter 04 / 2025 — now
MEMBRANE
Technical Director & CTO — Identity · growth · the stack

340 students told a friend. Seventeen generations later it's 5,254 verified members.

A social network for Indian college students, in stealth. Every dot is a KYC-verified member, placed on the ring of the generation they joined in. I built the stack underneath; the students built the tree.

5,254
verified members · 17 generations
Scrub the growthNov 2025 → Sep 2026, week by week
12 Sep 2026
Case file / the one I can't talk about yet
CategorySocial network · · mobile-first
AudienceCollege students, India. Bengaluru first — 23 campuses, average age 19.4
What it does
Business model
Members12,037 signed up · 5,254 passed video KYC and activated · 72% Aadhaar-verified
Growth98.8% referred by another member · 340 seeds → 17 generations · ₹0 paid acquisition
Retention80% month-to-month, averaged · peak 89% · MAU 67 → 2,934 in seven months
Scale19M feed impressions · 57,652 posts · 92,337 comments · 19,140 DMs · peak hour 8 PM
My remitFull stack — identity (Aadhaar / DigiLocker, video liveness), LLM ranking pipelines, the feed, payments, data platform & MCP. Plus product, growth and ops.
StatusLive. Stealth. planned
Details on request · in person
0.99K
virality coefficient — 98.8% of verified members were referred by a member
94%
of the network was recruited by someone who was themselves recruited
80%
month-to-month retention, averaged over ten months
44×
monthly actives, October to May · 67 → 2,934

If you're a brand, an investor, or a student at one of the 23 campuses, write to me and I'll fill in the bars.

Evidence wall

13 exhibits · 8 cleared · 5 withheld · nothing on screen you could reverse-engineer
Exhibit A · filmCleared
16:9 · 12–15 s loop · muted · 1920×1080 + poster
Campus, 7–8 PM (peak hour). Over the shoulder; the phone screen is out of focus by lens, not by post.
Where it happensBengaluru · evening · one continuous take
Exhibit B · the appWithheld
MEMBRANE
Screenshot withheldAndroid · the only screen you get is the lock screen
Exhibit C · dataCleared
Members per generationgen 4 is the biggest · 549 members · chains reach 17
Exhibit D · photoCleared
4:5 still · ≥2400 px
Onboarding session, RIT or BMSIT. Phones up, wordmark on the projector, nothing legible on screens.
Where the tree startsa lecture hall · RIT 1,822 · BMSIT 1,331 · BMSCE 1,319
Exhibit E · dataCleared
Bengaluru, by regionnorth 2,901 · south 1,867 · central 215 · west 116 · east 88
paid acquisition, eleven months
₹0

The marketing budget is the members.

Exhibit G · filmWithheld
4:5 · 8 s loop · muted
You at the whiteboard, architecture diagram behind you — shot at f/1.8 so the boxes are shapes, not words.
The architecturelegible to you · not to the camera
Exhibit H · dataCleared
A day on Membranequietest 4 AM · busiest 8 PM · every hour 9 AM–11 PM clears 15,000 events
Exhibit I · photoCleared
4:5 still
Founding team, one frame, no laptops open. Or you alone with the London company papers, if the team prefers to stay unnamed.
NFThing LimitedLondon · Bengaluru · the people, not the product
Exhibit J · photoWithheld
9:16 still, cropped
A real phone on a desk, lock screen showing a stack of Membrane notifications — count visible, bodies blurred in post.
Wednesday, 8:14 PM14 notifications · contents withheld
Exhibit K · dataCleared
New verified members per weekpeak 489 in the last week of November · 45 weeks
Exhibit L · objectCleared
1:1 still, top-down
Whatever physical thing the first 340 handed out — a printed QR card, a sticker, a poster — photographed on a desk like evidence. If nothing existed, print one now; it's true to how it spread.
How 340 became 5,254the invite, as an object
Exhibit M · audioWithheld
30 s · MP3 · shown as a waveform, transcript redacted — a student explaining Membrane to a friend, with consent.
Word of mouth, literallytranscript withheld
Tree drawn from the real root, generation and invites-per-referrer distributions; individual placements are synthetic. All figures: production DB via the Membrane MCP.12 Sep 2026
Intellectual property

Four inventions, six grantsUS · EP · CN · IN — all from the Schneider Electric years. Rights held by Schneider Electric Industries SAS. Verified on Google Patents, August 2026.

InventionGrants / filingsKey datesStatus
Universal Electrical Installation System
first-named inventor		US 10,411,420 B2
EP 3089293 B1
CN 106099561 B
IN 489/KOL/2015		Priority 30 Apr 2015
US granted 10 Sep 2019
EP granted 9 Oct 2019		Active · expiry 2036
Electrical Installation Box
Multifix Ultra		EP 3534472 B1
IN 201841007784		Priority 1 Mar 2018
EP granted 23 Mar 2022		Active · in force to 2039
Pop-Up Electrical SocketIN 413892Granted 2022Granted, India
Assembly for a Socket or a SwitchIN 201641008782Filed 2016Filed
US 10,411,420 — abstract

A universal electrical installation system including a fixing frame having a top part with provisions for fixation of an insert, a bottom part configured to be engaged with the top part, wherein the bottom part comprises provisions for terminal blocks that are capable of being attached or removed at any desired location … current carrying electrical rails housed within the fixing frame … disposed along the entirety of the fixing frame in a manner that when the insert is engaged therein, one or more conductive elements of the insert is capable of interfacing with the said current carrying electrical rails in multiple positions.

US grant PDF ↗  ·  EP 3534472 B1 grant PDF ↗

EP 3534472 B1 — drawing sheets
EP 3534472 B1 drawing sheet 1
EP 3534472 B1 drawing sheet 2
EP 3534472 B1 drawing sheet 3
EP 3534472 B1 drawing sheet 4
EP 3534472 B1 drawing sheet 5
Recognition / master chronology

2011 → 2026

2011
Formula SAE Italy — Ashwa Racing, RVCE, Riccardo Paletti Circuit
Undergraduate
2012
B.E. Mechanical, First Class with Distinction, CGPA 8.38
RVCE / VTU
2013
Most Promising Newcomer — best of graduate batch
Schneider Electric
2013
Inspirate 2013
Schneider Electric
2014
Innovision 2014 — Finale Contestant & Runner-Up
Schneider India R&D
2016
Retail Innovation Contest 2015–16 — 1st Runner-up of 140 ideas
Schneider Electric
2017
Innovative Idea 2017 — pop-up socket
Schneider Electric
2013–17
Pat on the Back · 2× Patent Awards · 3- and 5-year service plaques
Schneider Electric
2019–22
Six patents granted across US, EP, CN, IN
Schneider Electric Industries SAS
2020
Startup Autobahn India, Batch 2 — powered by Mercedes-Benz
Kluarc
2020
Top-10 finalist, Infineon Startup India AI Challenge
Kluarc
2020–21
Winner, Mitel global internal Shark Tank; Mitel AR shipped in 7 countries
Kluarc
2022
Nasscom 10,000 Startups / NIPP Startups Showcase feature
Kluarc
2023
Runner-Up, nasscom ai × IBM AI for Business Grand Challenge — Customer Care
Kluarc
2023
MOUs with Ramaiah Institute of Technology, BMSIT, BIT
Web3onwards
2025
Judge, CODE RED '25 (BMSIT&M) · Dignitary, amBITion 2.0 (BIT)
Web3onwards
2026
Membrane: 11,880 users, ₹28.9L paid, 65% referral-driven
Membrane
Media / everything in one place

Archive

Contact

Building something?Kushal is based in Bengaluru and works across hardware, AR, identity, marketplaces and growth.

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