Two engineers from Chennai spent over four years and their entire savings trying to solve a problem most men rarely talk about: sweaty, uncomfortable underwear. Historically, Indian men had largely settled for the same brands, with few alternatives offering anything meaningfully different. Then, in 2019, Anna University alumnus Pradeep Kumar Mani and his best friend, Balaji Nandakumar, decided to change that. What began as an attempt to solve a personal problem would eventually become HIE LABS,