The list of Investors at DroneAcharya flaunts some of the best from their industry. In the image, from the left: Shankar Sharma, V C Karthic, Ranbir Kapoor
Drones have become a widely used platform across industries for survey, surveillance and deliveries. Although earlier extensively used by the military, they are also being used by civilians and industries for a variety of applications. As of today, the Indian drone ecosystem boasts of around 250 companies in India and these numbers are only going to grow in the upcoming years.
One such drone company, DroneAcharya Aerial Innovations, is a Pune based drone service provider and a DGCA certified Drone Pilot training organization. The company has created solutions for organizations in the public and private sectors, by focusing on drone surveys, data processing, web and mobile app development, training, GIS and consulting. In the past one year, the company has been a part of noteworthy drone projects like Medicine from the Sky for delivery of medicines using drones and crop health analytics using drones for the World Bank.
With a series of exciting projects that serve a cause in the pipeline, the company has received an investment of USD 4.6 Million by multiple esteemed individuals from the finance sector and Bollywood industry. The investment, spear-headed by Mr. Shankar Sharma also includes investors like Mr. Ashish Nanda, Mr. V C Karthic, Mr. Vineet Arora, Unnati Labs, Mr. Harshal Morde, Mr. Nikhil Chawla, Mr. Vivek Chandoria, Mr. Turab Musayev and Bollywood actors Mr. Ranbir Kapoor and Mr. Aamir Khan.
The Indian government is playing a vital role in encouraging and broadening the drone industry with relaxation in the rules and regulations for flying drones. “The new Drone Rules usher in a landmark moment for this sector in India. The rules are based on the premise of trust and self-certification. Approvals, compliance requirements and entry barriers have been significantly reduced,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.
Amidst all these developments in the Indian drone industry, research firm Research and Markets has estimated that India’s UAV market will be worth $1.81 billion by FY26, while the Drone Federation of India estimates the industry to touch Rs 50,000 crore in the next five years, despite the effects of the global pandemic on many sectors of the economy. According to a Times of India (TOI) report dated December 1 2021, India is predicted to be the third-largest drone market in the world by 2025. We could also estimate the investments from industrial conglomerates, semiconductor companies, IT consulting firms, etc. since the unmanned aerial vehicle market in India is predicted to increase at a CAGR of 20.9 percent between 2020 and 2026. By 2030, attempts are being made to transform India into a major drone hub, with the Ministry of Civil Aviation revising the Drone Rules in 2021.
