From Missed Exams to National Recognition: Dhobi G Wins Startup Maharathi 2025

New Delhi | April 2025

For every student who’s ever missed a class or exam, waiting for their laundry, this story hits home. What began as a simple student grievance has now been honored on India’s biggest startup stage. Dhobi G, a tech-driven, fully managed institutional laundry company, has won the B2B category of the Startup Maharathi Challenge 2025, hosted by the Government of India and Startup India.

The award was presented at the grand Startup Mahakumbh 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, in the presence of Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry. From among over 2,400 startups, Dhobi G stood out for tackling a basic but deeply entrenched issue, student laundry, with innovation, empathy, and scale.

From Struggle to Solution

Dhobi G was founded by Ravi Ranjan (CEO), Ankur Gupta (COO), and Daksh Sabharwal (CMO), three friends who were once roommates in a Chennai hostel. Frustrated by the inefficiencies and unreliability of their laundry service, they decided to build a solution. One that would not only serve students like themselves but would also transform the way laundry is managed across institutions.

The team behind this new venture brings together real-world experience and simple, clear thinking. Each of them focuses on a different part of the problem: tech, systems, and design.

Ravi, starting from age 13, he already helped small shops and local businesses in Tier-3 towns get online through his company, R&R Soft. Later, during an internship at Jio, he spoke to over 100 small business owners to understand their problems. This startup, he says, is something he always wanted to build: practical, useful, and made for people who are often left out.

Ankur, who enjoys working on systems and operations, has led national college events and mentored more than 1,000 students across the country. He’s now using those skills to set up smooth, reliable processes that help the team work better.

Daksh brings in the design and user side of things. He has worked big brands on theri marketing design, but more than ads and billboards, he cares about how people feel when they use something. His goal is to make every part of the experience, whether it’s an app, a post, or a message, simple, clear, and easy to connect with

Together, they’re fixing everyday problems in college life, and building tools that students actually find helpful.

What began as a prototype in one college has grown into India’s first tech-enabled institutional laundry company, processing 6,000+ garments daily across campuses nationwide with an average 24-hour turnaround. More than a service, Dhobi G is now a movement toward dignity, digitization, and environmental sustainability in a traditionally unorganized sector.

> “Laundry was overlooked. We showed it could be reimagined. This isn’t just a win. It’s an approval for the whole industry,” said Ravi Ranjan, Co-founder & CEO.

More Than Just Clean Clothes

Dhobi G’s operations are powered by IoT-based smart laundry systems and student-facing dashboards, delivering near-zero complaint rates and a high degree of operational transparency. But the startup’s greatest strength lies in its ability to make laundry meaningful.

They launched the historic, “Valarchi Paathai” (The Path to Glory in Tamil), India’s FIRST Training and Certification Program in the laundry industry, launched in partnership with the Tamil Nadu Government and TNSKILL.

Their impact-first model focuses heavily on skilling. To date, the program has certified 80+ laundry professionals, many of whom have gone on to become “laundropreneurs” or team leads in Dhobi G’s own operations.

> “To all our partners, we see you, we hear you, and now the whole nation hears you. Welcome to the era of laundry-tech,” said Ankur Gupta, Co-founder & COO.

> “We began by building a solution to our own problem, and today, it has started a revolution,” added Daksh Sabharwal, Co-founder & CMO.

Institutional Impact in Action

At SRM University Ramapuram, where Dhobi G’s system is fully deployed, the results speak for themselves:

72% reduction in water and CO₂ usage

Higher student satisfaction and retention

Near-zero complaints and service downtime

Revenue generation for the university via managed services

These metrics have made Dhobi G not just a service provider but a strategic partner for educational institutions.

Media Contact:

Daksh Sabharwal

Chief Marketing Officer

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Recognized Globally

Dhobi G has been recognized at both national and global levels:

• Incubated at IIM Bangalore
• Awarded by the University of California, Berkeley
• Awarded by Uber
• Awarded by SRM University
• And now, Honored with the Startup Maharathi Award at Startup Mahakumbh 2025

As India leans deeper into innovation for social good, Dhobi G’s win at Startup Maharathi Challenge 2025 isn’t just a personal milestone, it’s a declaration that no problem is too small to solve.