The founders came from Tesla and Apple. The first product sold in Germany, France, the UK and seven other European countries before most Indian EV startups had even filed their first patent. The order book is worth more than $120 million. And on September 23 2026, Ultraviolette raised $85 million to go global. Follow every India startup funding story at BestStartup India.
The round was led by Yali Capital — a deep tech-focused fund — alongside TDK Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Japan’s TDK Corporation. Lip-Bu Tan, Chairman of Walden International and CEO of Intel, joined the round personally as an investor. Existing and long-term investors also participated.
What Ultraviolette Has Already Built
Ultraviolette was founded by Narayan Subramaniam and Niraj Rajmohan in Bengaluru in 2016. Subramaniam brings experience from Tesla. Rajmohan from Apple. They built battery technology, power electronics, vehicle architecture and intelligent software in-house as one vertically integrated stack. The F77 is India’s highest-performance electric motorcycle. The X-47 is the first production two-wheeler in India with radar-based safety systems. The company operates in 20 Indian cities and sells across 10 European Union countries including Germany, France, the UK, Ireland, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Read more India EV stories at BestStartup India.
Why Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan Invested Personally
When the CEO of Intel writes a personal cheque into a Bengaluru EV startup, the world pays attention. Lip-Bu Tan said: “What I really like about Ultraviolette is the combination of deep engineering expertise, strong IP, and the willingness to take on genuinely difficult problems. They have built the technology from first principles and are focused on creating something that is truly differentiated for the long term.” The radar-based safety system on the X-47 is proof. No other production two-wheeler manufacturer had done it before.
70,000 Paid Bookings and $120 Million in Order Value
Before this $85 million round was announced, Ultraviolette already had 70,000 paid bookings for its next two products — the Tesseract scooter and the Shockwave light motorcycle — representing more than $120 million in committed customer demand. Customers have already paid deposits. This is expansion capital deployed against an existing, proven, committed demand pipeline. Ultraviolette will use the funds to scale production of the F77 and X-47, accelerate delivery of the Tesseract launching early 2027, and fund the next generation of global EV platforms. Follow India EV funding at BestStartup India.
America in 2027. Latin America and Southeast Asia Next.
Ultraviolette is targeting US entry in 2027, alongside expansion into Latin America and Southeast Asia. Ganapathy Subramaniam, Founding Managing Partner of Yali Capital, said: “Ultraviolette has taken the F77 from concept to the roads in India and Europe, and brought radar-based safety features into a production two-wheeler with the X-47. With the Tesseract, launching early next year, they will bring this engineering and safety focus to scooters and a much wider set of riders.” Also read: Brahma AI raises $150M at $2B valuation and Lam Research commits Rs 10,000 crore to India silicon manufacturing. Follow every India startup story at BestStartup India.
Key Takeaways
Ultraviolette raised $85 million on September 23 2026. Led by Yali Capital and TDK Ventures. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan invested personally. Founded 2016 by Narayan Subramaniam (Tesla) and Niraj Rajmohan (Apple) in Bengaluru. Products include F77, X-47 radar-safety motorcycle, Tesseract scooter launching early 2027, and Shockwave. 70,000 paid bookings worth $120 million in order value. Currently in 20 Indian cities and 10 European countries. US entry targeted 2027. Vertically integrated across battery, powertrain, software and radar.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ultraviolette and what does it make?
Ultraviolette is a Bengaluru-based EV startup founded in 2016 by Narayan Subramaniam and Niraj Rajmohan making high-performance electric motorcycles and scooters — the F77, X-47, Tesseract and Shockwave.
How much did Ultraviolette raise in September 2026?
Ultraviolette raised $85 million led by Yali Capital and TDK Ventures with personal investment from Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan and existing investors on September 23 2026.
Why did Lip-Bu Tan invest in Ultraviolette?
Lip-Bu Tan cited Ultraviolette’s deep engineering expertise, strong IP and first-principles technology development — particularly the radar-based safety system on the X-47 — as reasons for his personal investment.
What are the Tesseract and Shockwave?
Tesseract is Ultraviolette’s upcoming mass-market electric scooter launching early 2027. Shockwave is a light electric motorcycle. Together they have 70,000 paid bookings worth over $120 million.
Where can I follow India EV and startup news?
Follow every India startup funding round and EV story at BestStartup India — updated every week.
