Manikumar Uppala is the Co-Founder and Chief of Industrial Engineering at Metastable Materials, an Indian startup specializing in lithium-ion battery recycling. Hailing from Thirumalagiri, he earned his Mechanical Engineering degree from IIT Roorkee, where he excelled in CAD and CAE, actively engaging with industry professionals. He began his career at National Engineering Industries Ltd (NBC Bearings), gaining expertise in grinding machines and product design. In 2022, he joined forces with Shubham Vishvakarma, co-founding Metastable Materials to revolutionize battery recycling with innovative metal extraction technology. Backed by Sequoia and Theia Ventures, the company is reshaping the recycling industry, making lithium-ion batteries more sustainable and accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles.