An interview with Venkatesh Sai, Founder & Technical Director at Zuppa Geo Navigations Technologies, a pioneer in drone manufacturing
In the rapidly evolving world of drone technology, Mr. Venkatesh Sai, Founder and Technical Director of Zuppa Geo Navigations Technologies, emerges as a visionary leader.
With a passion for innovation and a commitment to excellence, he has positioned Zuppa as a pioneer in the drone manufacturing industry.
In this interview, Venkatesh shares his insights on the future of aerial technology and the transformative impact of drones across various sectors.
Can you tell us about your background and what inspired you to start Zuppa?
Venkatesh Sai: I started flying remote control aero models at the Age of 10 years and won the aero modeling event at IIT Mumbai Techfest in 2009 as a 9th Standard student.
Around this time I joined my father in setting up India’s first electric Aeromodelling hobby shop called RCFORALL .
This was followed by a project from NAL( National Aerospace Laboratory ) to develop prototype and supply them a Man backpack UAV in 2011-12 which turned out to be a huge inspiration for me as it gave me the opportunity to assemble drones which we used to do by importing components from around the world and putting together the drone.
It was during this time that I realised that the most critical component that enabled unmanned operations was the Autopilot / Flight Controller it was the challenge of developing one and the knowledge of the fact that very few companies globally had made it inspired me to develop my own patented computing architecture at the age of 20 and use it in developing and manufacturing Indigenous drone autopilots.
My efforts in doing so was very well supported by the government initially under the TANSTIA FNF innovation voucher program and then the Government of India’s TIFAC-SIDBI Srijan Innovation Fund
How do you differentiate Zuppa from other companies in the same space?
Venkatesh Sai: Every computing device has a Deep Tech element that is commonly known as the motherboard which is made by companies like INTEL , Qualcomm etc . ZUPPA makes Motherboards for Drones and related unmanned systems. This is what differentiates ZUPPA from other drone players.
What emerging technologies do you believe will have the most significant impact on your industry in the next few years?
Venkatesh Sai: Software Defined wireless communications, Real-time Image processing, AI , ML, Closed loop Vision based navigation with no dependence on external sensors like GPS, Quantum Navigation, reliable drone identification methods, Counter attack evolving to be a software feature in every drone are a few technologies I believe will have huge impact on unmanned systems going forward.
What are some of the biggest challenges currently facing your industry, and how do you plan to address them?
Venkatesh Sai: The biggest challenges being faced by the industry are as follows:-
- Acceptance of the fact that Drone is a Dual use technology leading to Cyber Security concerns across all drones used in the country be it civilian or defence.
- Over dependence on the Chinese supply chain for drones and drone components.
- Loss of trust in the Ecosystems among customers and investors due to the lack of differentiation as far as Business Model is concerned as most major players were assembling drones using components imported from China. This is expected to change as the Indian customer starts to ask for Cyber Secure and high Indigenous content drones.
Where do you see Zuppa in the next five years?
Venkatesh Sai: I see ZUPPA evolving to the world’s largest producer of Cyber Secure ready to fly Drone platforms across all popular types of aircraft namely Multirotors. Fixed Wing and Fixed wing VTOLs.
My vision is to provide service providers , APP Builders and end users using ZUPPA platforms to round their businesses. I envision ZUPPA evolving into the Drone equivalent of DELL, HP, Acer in the case of laptops and Desktops.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own tech companies?
Venkatesh Sai: My advice to entrepreneurs are as follows :
- An entrepreneur’s responsibility extends way beyond his direct employees; it extends to their families as well as vendors, service providers and their families as well. Hence it is both satisfying as well as demanding.
- The Deeper one is into technology the longer it will take to get to revenue hence prepare for losses and raise sufficient funds to cover them.
- The Deeper one goes into technology the higher the entry barrier hence lower competition.
- Building a Deep Tech business in India can be very very tough both financially and mentally.
As we conclude our discussion, Mr. Venkatesh Sai’s dedication to advancing drone technology shines through.
His vision for Zuppa Geo Navigations Technologies not only highlights the potential of drones but also inspires future innovations that can reshape industries and enhance everyday life.
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