19DECEMBER 2025INDUSTRY INSIGHTSIn an exclusive interview with Industry Outlook, Anand Sri Ganesh, CEO at NSRCEL, shares his vision for India's drone technology ecosystem. He discusses how regulatory clarity, infrastructure investment, and strong IP frameworks are essential to unlock innovation; how startups must balance hardware, software, and commercialization.Anand Sri Ganesh is a key figure in shaping India's entrepreneurial ecosystem. He has held leadership roles at PepsiCo, HP, Manthan, and served as Chief Digital Officer at BRIDGEi2i Analytics Solutions. At NSRCEL, he focuses on transforming ideas into ventures by bridging academia with industry and connecting startups to investors, corporates, and policy networks. His approach underscores how technology, talent, and execution come together to drive entrepreneurial success.DESIGNING DRONE SUCCESS: TECH, TALENT & EXECUTIONWhat is the scenario of the Drone tech startup and innovation in India is like?India's drone tech and deeptech startup landscape is in the midst of a transformative period, fueled by both innovation as well as strategic policy intervention. While there is ongoing competition at the global level, Indian startups are now developing clusters of excellence around climate tech, precision agriculture, as well as aerial logistics--showing the leadership globally.The Vision here is not about the competition of "India vs. the world," but an opportunity for collaboration and co-creation. Here incubators plays a major role by enabling partnerships, technology transfer, and cross-border startup collaboration. Areas such as Cybersecurity, insurance technology, and enhanced agri-tech present high prospects for international collaborations while benefiting from India's vast and vibrant market.On the capital side, the picture is diverse. While seed funding is on the rise, driven by state support, angel groups, and corporate awards - equity funding from institutional investors is still cautious, particularly in asset-intensive and hardware-driven industries. But new specialized VCs and other sources of capital are coming into play to support deep-tech innovation with exciting potential for long-term growth.What kind of talent gap do you see in the drone industry? How can academia and innovation help bridge it?The concept of a "talent gap" in the drone sector tends to be more complicated. As far as we can observe, there is certainly no shortage of top-tier talent, particularly from leading institutions. There are many undergraduate students who are making significant contributions to leading-edge research and publications, highlighting the potential for the future industry. The issue is more related to redirecting this talent into high-impact, strategic functions within the drone and deep-tech ecosystem.A prime example of such synergy is the manner in which NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore incubator, collaborates with startups to link them up with talented young professionals via early-stage recruitment, internship initiatives, and mentorship. Such platforms bridge the divide between academic prowess and industry implementation, especially in new-tech areas such as drones, climate technology, and precision hardware.Startups such as Nautical Wings (developing integrated propulsion units for OEMs like ideaForge and TASL), AquaAirX (building amphibious drones for maritime and oil & gas Anand Sri Ganesh, CEO, NSRCELAnand Sri Ganesh, CEO
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