The Unlikely Industrialist: How Yash Gupta is Forging India’s Sustainable Metal Independence 

At just 26, Yash Gupta is pioneering a quiet industrial revolution by tackling a critical national vulnerability: India’s complete reliance on imported Tin, a metal essential for electronics, EVs, and solar panels. Through his company, Rikayaa Greentech, he has become India’s first and only certified producer of Tin Ingots by innovating a patented, green refining process that recovers high-purity Tin from e-waste and scrap, eliminating the need for mining or imports and creating a circular economy model.

His rigorously compliant and accredited business not only aligns with India’s strategic push for self-reliance but also lays the foundation for his broader vision of building a multi-metal, clean-tech platform to secure India’s industrial future sustainably.

The Unlikely Industrialist: How Yash Gupta is Forging India’s Sustainable Metal Independence 

In the glittering, fast-paced world of Indian startups, where valuation often eclipses value and app-based solutions grab the headlines, a different, more foundational story is being written. It’s a story not of code, but of crucibles; not of digital marketplaces, but of physical, strategic materials. At the heart of this narrative is Yash Gupta, a 26-year-old industrialist who isn’t chasing the next viral trend. Instead, he’s building the unsexy, indispensable backbone of India’s clean-tech future, one ingot of metal at a time. 

The Blind Spot That Became a Billion-Dollar Vision 

While his peers were ideating in co-working spaces, Yash Gupta was looking at a critical, and largely ignored, national paradox: India, a burgeoning manufacturing and electronics giant, was consuming over ₹14,000 crore worth of Tin annually. Yet, astonishingly, almost 100% of this vital metal was imported. 

Tin is the invisible workhorse of modern life. It’s the solder that connects circuits in your smartphone and electric vehicle, the non-toxic coating that lines your food cans, and a crucial component in photovoltaic cells for solar panels. It is, in essence, a strategic metal. Yet, its supply chain was entirely at the mercy of international markets and geopolitics, primarily dependent on imports from Indonesia and Malaysia. 

“Everyone was chasing the next big app, the next SaaS platform,” Yash reflects, his perspective cutting through the noise of conventional startup culture. “But few were willing to roll up their sleeves and solve India’s hard, industrial problems. I saw a gap that was not just a business opportunity, but a national vulnerability. I wanted to fix what no one else was willing to touch.” 

This “blind spot” became the genesis of Rikayaa Greentech. Yash wasn’t just aiming to become another supplier; he was aiming to redefine the very paradigm of production. 

A “Green Refining” Breakthrough: From E-Waste to Strategic Asset 

The conventional path would have been to secure mining rights and dig. Yash Gupta chose a path less travelled, one that was smarter, cleaner, and ultimately, more sovereign. His breakthrough wasn’t just in making Tin; it was in how he decided to make it. 

Rikayaa’s patented process is a masterclass in circular economy principles. Instead of mining virgin ore, the company recovers high-purity Tin (99.90%) from a resource we have in embarrassing abundance: industrial scrap and electronic waste. India is one of the world’s largest generators of e-waste, a toxic and growing problem. Yash saw this not as a problem, but as an urban mine. 

“It’s not just about producing Tin,” he explains, articulating the core of his philosophy. “It’s about how we produce it. We asked ourselves: why tear open the earth, with all its environmental destruction and energy expenditure, when we can recover what we need from the waste we’ve already created?” 

This “green refining” process is reportedly 20% more energy-efficient than traditional smelting, turning an environmental liability into a strategic asset. In 2025, this innovation culminated in a historic milestone: Rikayaa Greentech became the first and only company in India to receive a BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification for Tin Ingots under IS 26:2024. 

This BIS mark is far more than a regulatory checkbox. It is a declaration of national capability. It signals to the world, and more importantly to Indian industry, that a homegrown, world-class alternative now exists. It is the moment “Make in India” moved from a slogan to a tangible reality for a critical mineral. 

The Unshakeable Foundation: Building on Compliance and Courage 

In an era where “move fast and break things” has been a mantra for some, Yash Gupta’s playbook is strikingly different. His is a story built on the unglamorous but unshakeable pillars of compliance, certification, and courage. He understood that for a business dealing with heavy industry and strategic materials, trust is the most valuable currency. 

This commitment is etched into the company’s DNA. Rikayaa is a DPIIT-recognized startup and, in a rare and significant endorsement, has been granted 100% income tax exemption under Section 80IAC by the Inter-Ministerial Board—a benefit reserved for genuinely innovative, R&D-driven ventures. 

Furthermore, the company’s trophy cabinet of accreditations speaks volumes: 

• ZED–Gold Certified: Signifying a commitment to Zero Effect (on the environment) and Zero Defect (in manufacturing quality). 

• ISO Trio: Certified for Quality Management (9001), Environmental Management (14001), and Food Safety Management (22000—critical for tin used in packaging). 

• Global Compliance: Adherence to ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) standards, making its products export-ready. 

This rigorous framework isn’t a constraint for Yash; it’s his competitive moat. While others might cut corners, he has built a state-of-the-art facility in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, designed to scale without sacrificing the environmental ethos he champions. It’s a bold, long-term bet that integrity and quality are ultimately more scalable than shortcuts. 

Beyond Tin: The Blueprint for a Clean-Tech Metal Empire 

While the Tin triumph is monumental, it is merely the opening chapter of Yash Gupta’s vision. He sees Rikayaa not as a single-metal company, but as the core of a future Indian clean-tech metal platform. 

Through Rikayaa Enterprises Limited, he is already actively diversifying into Copper, Brass, and Aluminium Alloys. The overarching goal is audacious yet simple: to create a multi-metal powerhouse that provides Indian manufacturers with a domestic, sustainable, and reliable source for the essential materials that build our world. 

“Our vision is to build India’s first clean-tech metal platform,” Yash states, his gaze fixed on a broader horizon. “From tin to aluminium, we want to give Indian industry the materials it needs—without the environmental trade-offs or the strategic vulnerability of import dependence.” 

This expansion is perfectly timed. The Government of India has awoken to the critical importance of mineral security, announcing a ₹1,500 crore subsidy scheme to promote the recycling of critical minerals. Yash Gupta wasn’t just reacting to this policy; he was already operating at its epicenter, proving himself a pioneer ahead of the curve. 

Redefining the Indian Entrepreneur: The Metallurgist-Missionary 

Yash Gupta’s journey forces a re-evaluation of what it means to be a successful entrepreneur in modern India. He is absent from the flashy tech forums that dominate media cycles. Instead, he is part metallurgist, part strategist, and part patriot—a quiet but formidable force in the landscape of Indian industry. 

He represents a vital, often overlooked, breed of founder: the nation-builder. In a world obsessed with disruptive software, he is focused on resilient hardware. He is building the very foundation upon which the electric vehicle, renewable energy, and electronics revolutions will stand—or fall. 

So, what does success look like for this new generation of industrial leader? It looks like a BIS certificate that breaks a decades-long import dependency. It looks in the gleam of a Tin ingot sourced from discarded circuit boards. It looks in the courage to choose the harder, more compliant path, knowing it builds a stronger company and a more self-reliant nation. 

It looks, unmistakably, like Yash Gupta and Rikayaa—a testament to the power of a rare mindset, focused not on fleeting trends, but on forging a legacy of resilience from the ground up.