Start-ups around the world are solving problems ranging from apps to keep people healthy to food delivery services. They are also attracting millions of dollars of funding from investors. But a Chennai-based start-up Vaya Life is betting on an opportunity that new-age companies may not have tapped so far. Founded by former Apple executive Vashist Vasanthakumar, the firm makes lunchboxes which look like devices straight out of a space movie.

“Lunchboxes have not changed much in over 200 years, while computers and phones have evolved,” said Mr. Vasanthakumar, 31, chief executive of Vaya.

“I carried a lunchbox every day to the school and after 13 years in the U.S. I came back (to India) but it hadn’t evolved,” he said. An alumnus of the University of Michigan, Mr. Vasanthakumar smelled a business opportunity and left his job at smartphone maker Apple to start Vaya — which means strength and power in Sanskrit. The start-up has built ‘Vaya Tyffyn box’ which can fit in any office bag and is covered with a compact stainless steel oval body. This design makes it 30 per cent thinner than other tiffin boxes. The double-walled vacuum insulated stainless steel shell traps heat as it rises. The firm said the product had been designed to keep the food hot even after six hours of packaging.

“We ran a lot of thermal simulations to understand how the heat escapes,” said Mr. Vasanthakumar.

Vaya said that it used steel instead of plastic which has many health hazards and is not aesthetically appealing. The lunchbox has three stainless steel containers with copper finishing and leak proof lids. It comes with a smart shoulder bag which can be unzipped and converted into a table mat.

The bag which has space for cutlery has a layer of water-resistant coating that makes it easy to wipe after any spills. Vaya said the lunchbox had been put through military grade testing which includes strong vibrations to make sure it does not leak while travelling on potholed roads and trains.

Mr. Vasanthakumar who raised money from his family and friends to launch the venture, is using the e-commerce model to sell the product priced at Rs.2,500 per unit. He said Vaya was planning to sell it globally.