Kent RO Success Story: Mahesh Gupta’s Journey from ₹5,000 to Building Kent RO
Mahesh Gupta started the Kent RO company with just ₹5,000. Mahesh Gupta’s children were repeatedly suffering from jaundice. According to doctors, the reason was contaminated water, which was making his children sick. Gupta aimed to create a water purifier that could effectively clean water.
Highlights:
- Kent RO started with just 5,000 rupees.
- Kent RO was founded to address diseases in children caused by contaminated water.
- Engineering brilliance was employed to develop new technology for RO purification.
Some people are those who, in the face of problems, turn away and focus on their work. Some people, when they see problems, get angry and blame others. Meanwhile, some people are those who dive deep into the roots of issues, find solutions, and offer them to society. Mahesh Gupta is one of the latter. After studying mechanical engineering at IIT Kanpur, he had a job with the government company Indian Oil. However, something happened in his life that forced him to quit his job. His son had fallen ill.
The children were falling sick due to contaminated water.
Mahesh Gupta’s children were repeatedly suffering from jaundice. According to the doctor, his children were getting sick repeatedly due to contaminated water. This greatly troubled Mahesh Gupta. Finding a solution to the problem of contaminated water became his biggest challenge. Afterward, he came up with an idea that not only helped his children recover but also inspired him to start KENT RO (KENT Reverse Osmosis) alongside.
The market couldn’t purify water properly.
They brought water purifiers from Gupta Market, but they weren’t satisfied with them because the RO (Reverse Osmosis) technology available in the market was subpar. As a result, they couldn’t purify water completely. Now, they started using their engineering skills. They came up with the idea of making a purifier based on their reverse osmosis technology. In 1998, they began the work of making RO purifiers. They named their company KENT RO.
Starting with 5,000 Rupees
Mahesh began Kent RO Company with just 5,000 rupees. When the final product was ready for sale, he initially priced the RO at 20,000 rupees, making it more expensive than other RO systems in the market. However, as customers began to trust the benefits of Kent, the company’s journey started to flourish. To enhance marketing, Gupta appointed Hema Malini as Kent RO’s brand ambassador. Along with this, the company that started with 5,000 rupees eventually reached a valuation of 1,100 crores, almost unnoticed.
