Despite growing up in the same town in India, Anurag Joshi and Abhishek Somanagoudar had never met until they both came to Cranfield to study the MSc Aerospace Vehicle Design in 2014. After meeting again at a Cranfield alumni event at the Aero India show in 2017, they decided to found a company – INDrone Aero Systems – and returned to the show in 2019 to win the inaugural Drone Olympics. Read on to hear more from Anurag about their journey since graduation.
Deciding on Cranfield: Growing up as a defence kid in India, I knew of Cranfield University’s rich heritage from a young age.
I grew up as a defence kid in India – my Father was in the Indian Air Force. Cranfield University was where the best of the Forces were chosen to be trained, and it was well-known to have trained engineers in the Air Force and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). I knew of Cranfield’s rich history from a young age, so when the time came to make the decision of where to pursue my Master’s after three years of workplace experience, I had no doubts in my mind that it should be Cranfield.
A connection that would eventually lead to co-founding a business
My future INDrone Aero Systems co-founder, Abhishek Somanagoudar and I were from the same town in India, and we spoke the same mother tongue – but we’d never met until we came to Cranfield. We both studied on the MSc Aerospace Vehicle Design course from 2014 - 2015. Over a period of time we came to realise we had a similar ideology when it came to providing solutions and adding value. After we graduated, we met again at the Aero India show in 2017 and decided to set up our company, INDrone Aero Systems.
Abhishek comes from a start-up background, having started two other companies prior to starting on the MSc course. I had previous experience working in a start-up company designing and testing drones. With the knowledge gained during our studies at Cranfield, we decided that using drones as a tool to capture data and provide actionable insights was the domain we wanted to work in. We could see that the impact unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were going to have was immense – and that they could really benefit our customers in terms of reducing costs, saving time and reducing the risk to staff working in elevated zones and unsuitable environments.
Founding INDrone Aero Systems
We set up INDrone Aero Systems to provide actionable intelligence to those in the infrastructure, energy and mining sectors with the help of data captured by customised UAVs and sensors. By providing real-time, high precision data from their site to all involved stakeholders, we empower enterprises to make smart decisions when it comes to planning and executing projects, monitoring progress and undertaking post-project completion inspections. Making such decisions at the right time helps to reduce the occurrence of errors by a huge margin and curb additional expenditure.
When we first started the company, the progress was very slow. As the technology was new, it took time to educate the users on the benefits that the drones provided and develop their understanding of how using drone technology could assist them in their work. But over a period of time, the customers were able to see and understand the benefits they were gaining by using drones. The work we did was recognised by the Startup India Scheme and we were one of ten companies shortlisted – out of 100 that had applied. As a result, we were given the opportunity to showcase the applications and technology that we had developed at INDrone Aero Systems to key figures in the aerospace industry at Aero India 2019. As a start-up company, it was a moment of pride to have our work recognised and to be provided with an international platform.
Returning to Aero India in 2019 and winning the inaugural Drone Olympics was exhilarating – I can’t put the feeling into words.
The Drone Olympics at Aero India 2019 were organised by the Indian Ministry of Defence and saw 57 teams from around the world compete in three categories: testing surveillance, payload and formation flying capabilities. The INDrone team – competing under the name ‘Drovengers Quad’ – won first and second place in the Surveillance: Fixed VTOL Multirotor (>4kg and <4kg) categories of the competition, being awarded medals and cash prizes for our efforts. Winning the inaugural Drone Olympics was exhilarating – I can’t put the feeling into words. The effort that the team had put in were reflected in the results and we were happy that our hard work was recognised, and rewarded.
The Cranfield alumni network and events provide a platform to discuss your ideas and gain insights.
“INDrone is a fantastic example of Cranfield’s alumni network bringing people together with world-changing results.” Professor Sir Peter Gregson, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Cranfield University, speaking after Aero India 2019.
It was fantastic to meet with Professor Sir Peter Gregson and Sir Dominic Asquith, British High Commissioner to India, at the Aero India Cranfield alumni event in 2019. Their kind words and appreciation have given us an immense amount of motivation to do our work better and we hope to collaborate with the University in the future to continue to drive innovation in the industry.
The Cranfield alumni events provide the right balance of socialising with your classmates and being able to network with key people in the industry. Such events, and the alumni network, offer a valuable platform to discuss your ideas and gain insights from those with experience in the industry.
My advice to current students: make the best use of your time at Cranfield – with the combination of the best technology, the best minds and the best business mentors, the opportunity to learn is immense.
If I were to give one piece of advice to students just starting their Cranfield journey, it would be to make the best use of your time on campus. Utilise the library, understand the research that’s going on. Connect with the right stakeholders so that you can discuss your ideas with them and get their insights. With the combination of the best technology, the best minds and the best business mentors available all on the same campus – the opportunity to learn is immense. But don’t forget to loosen up on the weekends, too. Some of the best ideas come from a great conversation at the CSA.