Drones not just tools but enablers of progress

Agnishwar Jayaprakash, the founder and CEO of Garuda Aerospace, one of India's leading drone companies, explains how by integrating drones across multiple sectors, India can achieve greater efficiency, sustainability, and resilience.

- By Sunil Rajguru

Can you tell the story of how you ended up in the drone space and the launch of Garuda Aerospace?

My journey into the drone space has been anything but conventional. Before stepping into the world of technology and entrepreneurship, I was an international-level swimmer, representing India multiple times in the World Championship and the South Asian Games. After completing my education at Harvard Business School, I had the incredible opportunity to work under UN Assistant SecretaryGeneral Madam Lakshmi Puri. During this time, I was deeply engaged in preparing impact reports on the power of youth and emerging technologies. That experience opened my eyes to how transformative technology can be-especially when harnessed by a young, dynamic population like India's. I began to wonder: What if we could leverage drone technology to solve real-world problems in a developing country like India? With the world's largest youth population, I saw a massive opportunity to disrupt multi-billiondollar industries using drone tech. That vision led me to launch Garuda Aerospace in 2015 with a small but passionate team of five.

Based in Chennai, Garuda Aerospace specialises in manufacturing customised drones for applications ranging from surveillance and delivery to agriculture. Over the years, we have scaled significantly, growing to a 250-member team and serving more than 750 clients. Our journey took a major leap in 2022 when cricket legend M.S. Dhoni invested in our company, further propelling us to new heights.

Today, Garuda Aerospace is the most valuable drone startup in India, and we have expanded globally into Malaysia, Africa, and South America. What started as an idea has now turned into a movement, using drone technology to revolutionise industries and create impact at scale. And this is just the beginning