On 2026‑09‑30 I attended a Residency Bangalore event with Vishnu Das (ex‑Celesta Capital) to dissect the complexities of building aerospace, defence, and space startups in India.
- Decision: Focus early on defence contracts to gain credibility, funding, and high‑quality validation.
When building for the army, navy, or the air force -- the kind of quality, technologically and operationally, you aim to build for puts you in a great spot to diversify into commercial projects (because defence is the highest benchmark).
The defence sector is not the way it was before and the pace and urgency have been increasing.
- Decision: Engage the IISc incubator for IP protection and rapid prototyping.
- Decision: Align product roadmaps with emerging defence procurement reforms post‑conflict with Pakistan.
- Methods include procurement mapping, blockchain‑linked serial authentication, and hybrid solar‑thermal/battery power for satellites.