Vimag Labs, a Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup, secured its fifth Indian patent on July 8 for an electric motor that operates without rare-earth permanent magnets, according to multiple industry reports. The patent, titled "A Robust Rotating Transformer Excited Synchronous Motor and Its Control," covers the core architecture of the company's Virtual Magnet Synchronous Motor (VMSM) platform, which generates and controls magnetic fields using power electronics and software rather than fixed magnets.
Manish Seth, co-founder and CEO of Vimag Labs, said the patent represents the outcome of more than 87,600 engineering hours. Reports state the idea for a magnet-free motor originated during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, after a shipment of magnets needed for prototype motors was delayed at Shanghai Port for nearly three months. The company, founded in September 2025, now holds five granted patents with ten additional applications and fifteen trademarks pending.
Vimag Labs has raised $5 million in a Series A round led by Accel, with participation from Chakra Growth Fund and Thinkuvate, and has signed a manufacturing memorandum of understanding with Jendamark to support production scale-up. The company is reportedly running pilot programs with two-wheeler and passenger-vehicle manufacturers, with plans to expand into industrial systems, robotics, defense, and cooling applications, and aims to ship between 1,000 and 10,000 motor units by year's end.
