Our vision is to evolve Whizzo into an IP-driven manufacturing company
Whizzo is a Bengaluru, India-based materials science manufacturing company founded in 2024. It specialises in engineered and technical textiles, leveraging woven, nonwoven, and composite technologies to deliver innovative solutions across industries like Medtech, Packtech, Indutech, and Clothtech. In a chat with Fibre2Fashion, Founder & CEO Shrestha Kukreja emphasises Whizzo’s commitment to delivering groundbreaking textile solutions at speed and scale.
Whizzo combines innovation and fashion in textiles. What inspired you to start the company?
Whizzo is a materials science-driven manufacturing company specialising in engineered and technical textiles. The company was founded to address a critical gap in the industry—while India has a strong textile sector, only a few manufacturers have been innovating at the materials and core blend levels. This is where Whizzo comes in. By leveraging advanced materials science, we aim to drive the next generation of high-performance textiles.
Today, the global textiles industry is valued at $2.4 trillion, with India playing a crucial role as one of its key contributors. As the second-largest sector in India after agriculture, textiles are poised for significant disruption. Recognising this potential, the Indian government has identified the textiles industry as a strategic priority in its ambition to achieve $1 trillion in annual merchandise exports.
Whizzo’s inception was further driven by shifting global supply chains. As companies look to diversify away from China and Bangladesh, India is in a unique position to strengthen its foothold in the textile sector. This opportunity is further bolstered by the country’s strong MSME ecosystem and government initiatives like the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, which actively support innovation and expansion in textiles. To accelerate this vision, Whizzo has raised $4.2 million in seed funding led by Lightspeed, with participation from BEENEXT. This investment has enabled us to scale operations, advance R&D in technical textiles, and strengthen our cloud manufacturing network.
Can you share how your approach to textile innovation sets you apart from competitors in the industry?
Whizzo operates differently from a traditional commercial manufacturer, adopting a model similar to a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO) in the pharmaceutical sector. We offer end-to-end services, starting from early-stage development including idea generation, screening, and testing—through to product development and large-scale manufacturing, ensuring seamless product commercialisation.
We collaborate closely with our customers from the initial creation and iteration stages to the final execution of a specialised blend. Ultimately, our vision is to evolve Whizzo into an IP-driven manufacturing company, pushing the boundaries of innovation in engineered and technical textiles.
Whizzo emphasises sustainable materials like GRS-certified fabrics, organic cotton, and recycled polyester. How do you ensure sustainability without compromising on quality and performance?
A company’s core capability lies in its inherent strength to innovate at the materials level, creating customised blends tailored to each product or specific problem statement. At Whizzo, we develop these unique blends by combining the expertise of our in-house design lab with the execution power of our extensive cloud manufacturing network, which includes over 100 trusted suppliers. This approach enables us to deliver high-performance, engineered textiles with precision and scalability.
The industries you serve—automotive, agriculture, medical textiles, and engineered fashion—each have unique demands. How does Whizzo tailor its textile solutions to meet these diverse requirements?
We operate a cloud manufacturing network of 100+ partners across India, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. By closely understanding customer requirements, our in-house advanced materials team rapidly develops the product, which is then allocated to the most suitable partner facility for execution. This agile approach ensures efficiency, scalability, and high-quality production tailored to specific needs.
Whizzo operates with a multi-echelon supply chain. How does this structure enhance your ability to deliver cutting-edge textile solutions efficiently?
At technology level, company is equipped with both woven and nonwoven technologies to cater to wide applications of textiles. Having presence in major supply and manufacturing origins in Asia—viz. China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Bangladesh—our company is fully equipped to cater to wide spectrum of demand in engineered and technical textiles.
Your focus on high-performance fabrics like bi-stretch and thermal textiles aligns with sportswear trends. What are the key innovations in this space, and which brands are adopting your materials?
One of the biggest trends we are seeing is the blending of performance fabrics with lifestyle applications. At Whizzo, we have developed proprietary blends that bring the best of both worlds—high-performance functionality with everyday comfort. These innovations have quickly gained traction, especially among international brands looking for versatile, multi-functional textiles that align with evolving consumer needs.
With a strong focus on both technical and fashion textiles, how do you balance functionality with aesthetics in your product design and development?
The core strength of the company lies in its ability to innovate at the materials level, enabling versatile applications across industries. For example, we start with a base material like nylon and develop specialised blends for diverse uses—ranging from fashion innerwear to nylon cord fabrics for automobiles. This materials-first approach allows us to create high-performance solutions tailored to specific industry needs.
With a focus on recycled, laser-friendly, and organic denim, how do you see the future of sustainable denim evolving, and what role does Whizzo play in shaping it?
In the long run, Whizzo is deeply committed to sustainability. At its core, sustainability is about ensuring the responsible use of finite resources, so they remain available for future generations. At Whizzo, our focus extends beyond just reducing waste—we emphasise reuse, recycle, and upcycle while championing a circular economy. By integrating perpetual lifecycle products and responsible sourcing, we align with the true essence of sustainability.
As a materials science-driven manufacturer, Whizzo balances the ‘Fire and Ice’ of performance and sustainability, ensuring superior product quality without compromising cost efficiency.
One of our key ongoing projects is the development of high-finesse, low-water-consumption denim. Using an advanced laser treatment process, this innovation reduces water usage by 95 per cent compared to conventional denim manufacturing while eliminating chemical-intensive processes such as bleaching, oxidation, and enzyme treatments. Beyond sustainability, this breakthrough also enhances the finesse and finishing of the final product, setting a new benchmark in the industry.
What innovations will Whizzo’s design lab bring to fashion-engineered textiles, and how will it impact the industry?
At Whizzo we have an in-house design lab dedicated to developing fashion-engineered textiles. Customers have access to a tech-backed digital repository of blends and collections to choose from. Once a blend is selected, they receive a clear order timeline, significantly reducing the traditional time-to-market from 18-24 months to just one day.
Global brands face a critical gap when extending their product lines. They seek a partner who collaborates closely from concept to final formulation, iterating until the perfect blend is achieved. Beyond development, they want continuity in partnership till the time commercial batch of production is out. Given the fast-paced evolution of the textile industry, brands also need a partner who stays engaged throughout the product’s lifecycle, adapting to market demands and innovations.
Interviewer: Shilpi Panjabi
Published on: 10/03/2025
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
