FOR LONGTIME friends Srinath Ramakkrushnan and Vishal Chaudhary, even before their journey at Zetwerk began, mutual respect, trust and compatibility formed the bedrock of their relationship. All that helped transform Zetwork into India’s only manufacturing unicorn. Founded in 2018 by the duo, along with fellow IITians Amrit Acharya and Rahul Sharma, the company connects manufacturers with vendors and suppliers for customised products such as die-cast components, metal extrusions, components for aerospace and defence industries and electronic components, among others. It counts L&T, Tata Steel and BHEL among its partners.
While Srinath holds a mechanical engineering degree from IIT Madras, Vishal has a Masters in chemical engineering from IIT Kharagpur. Srinath has played a crucial role in acquisitions such as Unimacts LLC (a Boston-headquartered manufacturing services firm) and Sharp Tanks & Structurals (a Mumbai-headquartered company operating in oil & gas space). Vishal, on the other hand, leads the industrial vertical, which accounts for 70% of Zetwerk’s business, and has been instrumental in the company bagging a huge order (for supply of 10,000 MT of fabricated girder) as part of the bullet train project. The company has made four acquisitions in 2022 and is now eyeing the U.S. market.
Srinath calls himself the risk-taker, while Vishal is risk-averse. While Srinath relies on Vishal’s views on operational excellence, Vishal looks up to Srinath for the former’s people management skills. “What is good for the company trumps all views,” agree both. The duo’s Saturday mornings are reserved for brainstorming sessions on Zetwerk’s future.
The firm raised $210 million in a series F round in December 2021 at an estimated valuation of over $2.6 billion, according to reports. It raised ₹100 crore in debt funding in March.

— Rukmini Rao