In May 2024, residents of Supertech Ecovillage 2 in Greater Noida protested at night due to repeated power outages during a scorching heatwave, with temperatures reaching 50°C. Families described severe hardship caused by frequent electricity interruptions, highlighting India’s growing challenge: the national power grid is under extreme stress as demand rises and heatwaves intensify.

⚡ AI Startup Pravāh Tackles India’s Energy Crisis

Pravāh, a new AI-powered grid intelligence startup, was founded by Stanford alumni Mohak Mangal, Dhruv Suri, and Aman Gupta. The company, whose name means “flow” in Sanskrit, is backed by Khosla Ventures, Pear VC, and Conviction, and focuses on solving one of India’s most pressing problems — unreliable electricity supply.

🔌 India’s Power Grid: Outdated Systems and Growing Demand

Many state-run discoms still rely on spreadsheets and outdated statistical models for electricity forecasting. While these tools may work under normal conditions, they fail to predict:

• Extreme weather events

• Sudden rooftop solar generation surges

• Late or heavy monsoons

Consequences of inaccurate forecasts include power outages, expensive emergency electricity purchases, and increased financial burden on both the government and households.

Mohak Mangal explains, “Discoms cannot operate with yesterday’s data when energy efficiency and reliability are critical.”

🤖 Pravāh’s AI Solution: Smarter Grid Management

Pravāh’s AI-native decision support engine combines:

• Machine learning demand forecasts

• High-resolution, India-specific weather modeling

• Tools to reduce AT&C losses

This system enables discoms to optimize power purchases, predict peak demand, and minimize electricity wastage, improving both efficiency and reliability. The startup is already collaborating with organizations in India, the US, and Germany.

🌧️ Why Global Weather Models Fail in India

Working with Stanford professor Aditi Sheshadri, Pravāh found that many top AI weather models underestimate extreme rainfall and misjudge cyclone paths.
For a monsoon-prone country, these errors can be catastrophic.

To address this, Pravāh has developed India-specific weather forecasting models that account for local climate patterns, ensuring more accurate predictions for grid operators.

🔥 AI Predicts Extreme Events and Prevents Crises

Research by Pravāh shows global models often miscalculate peak temperatures during heatwaves, making local corrections essential.

Co-founder Dhruv Suri adds,
“Machine learning gives operators foresight into the next hour, day, and extreme events. It transforms reactive crisis management into proactive prevention.”

👨‍💻 The Expertise Behind Pravāh

The founding team brings world-class experience:

• Mohak Mangal – Worked with World Bank and MIT Poverty Action Lab in India and Myanmar

• Dhruv Suri – Renewable energy researcher, built real-time grid tools at Google X, co-founded clean energy initiatives

• Aman Gupta – PhD from NYU Courant, collaborated with NASA, IBM, and Stanford on climate and monsoon models

🌙 Mission: Reliable Power for Every Family

The startup aims to prevent situations like the midnight power outage in Greater Noida, where families had to step outdoors to demand electricity.

With accurate demand forecasts, AI-powered weather predictions, and real-time grid monitoring, Pravāh’s technology ensures continuous, reliable electricity even during heatwaves and storms.

The vision is clear: no household in India should suffer due to power outages in the 21st century.