Zetwerk files lawsuit against its former exec’s new firm Ayr Energy in Texas court

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Manufacturing platform Zetwerk and its US subsidiary Unimacts have filed a lawsuit in a Texas court, accusing former senior executive Anirudh Reddy Edla and his new venture Ayr Energy Inc of stealing confidential data and using it to poach customers for contracts worth tens of millions of dollars.

In a verified petition dated October 17 in the Harris County District Court, Zetwerk and Unimacts allege that Edla secretly founded Ayr Energy in September 2024 while still employed with the company and downloaded hundreds of confidential documents before his resignation in January 2025.

What is the petition? 

These materials, the firms claim, included sensitive commercial information such as customer lists, supplier contracts, pricing data, and board presentations.

Zetwerk spokesperson declined to comment, citing ongoing legal proceedings. Ayr Energy could not be reached out for a comment at the time of publishing the story.

According to the filing, Edla and Ayr allegedly recruited Unimacts sales lead Chad Stuckey, who also downloaded customer pipeline data before quitting. Zetwerk and Unimacts contend that Ayr then used these files to approach existing clients and win major contracts in the renewable energy equipment business, a segment where Zetwerk has been expanding aggressively since acquiring Unimacts in 2023.

The petition cites forensic records showing that Edla accessed and downloaded at least 676 files from Zetwerk’s Google Workspace and another 428 files from its Microsoft 365 system during his final months at the company.

What is the connection between Zetwerk and Edla? 

Zetwerk appointed Edla as head of its precision components business, which served US customers through India-based suppliers.

After acquiring Unimacts Global LLC, the company moved Edla to Zetwerk USA in January 2023 to lead its entire US operations, including Zetwerk USA, Unimacts, and its subsidiaries. In this role, Edla gained access to Zetwerk’s business plans, supply-chain details, customer lists, and pricing strategies that helped the company reach a valuation of over $3 billion.

In late 2024, Edla informed Zetwerk that he was launching his own company, claiming it would focus on intellectual property in the electrical equipment space and would not compete with Zetwerk. He left the company in January 2025.

Is there any financial damage to Zetwerk? 

Zetwerk estimate losing nearly $77 million in potential orders and allege that Ayr’s revenues from the disputed business could exceed $250 million, describing the startup’s growth as built on “misappropriated trade secrets and unfair competition.”

At what stage is the legal proceeding currently? 

Zetwerk and Unimacts have sought a temporary and permanent injunction to restrain Ayr from using their confidential data or soliciting their transformer and renewables customers.

They have also demanded disgorgement of profits, damages exceeding $1 million, and exemplary damages under the Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act.