#2: Building India’s Urban Air Mobility: Inside The ePlane Company - Prof. Satya Chakravarthy

Описание: Professor Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy, founder of The ePlane Company (https://www.eplane.ai/about) , is at the forefront of electric aviation and deep tech entrepreneurship in India. With more than three decades as an aerospace professor at IIT Madras, he has helped shape the country’s talent pipeline for aerospace and enabled the emergence of startups across rockets, satellites, clean energy, and urban mobility.


 


His latest venture, The ePlane Company, is focused on building electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed for short urban commutes, medical emergencies, and cargo transport.


 


Since founding ePlane in 2019, Prof. Satya has driven efforts to develop some of the world’s most compact eVTOL aircraft, combining technical innovation with practical application for Indian cities. In recent years, ePlane has achieved a series of milestones: building and testing multiple prototypes, receiving India’s first Design Organization Approval from the DGCA, advancing civil aircraft and propeller certification in the region, and signing an MOU with ICATT for nearly 800 air ambulances—a potential order worth more than $1 billion.


 


Apart from ePlane, Prof. Satya is steeped in the development of deep tech startups incubated at IIT Madras. He is a director or advisor at multiple ventures, including Agnikul Cosmos, a space launch vehicle company, Aerostrovilos, a startup aiming to produce fuel-agnostic micro gas turbines, GalaxEye, a startup that aims to make earth observation satellites with multi-sensor fusion and edge-computing in space, and NewTrace, which aims to make green hydrogen at an affordable cost soon.


 


He also heads the National Centre for Combustion Research & Development (NCCRD) at IIT Madras, the largest of its kind, built with $30 million in funding over the last several years.


 


His approach to tech-led development, which he describes as 'defrastructure,' questions the need for large, capital-intensive infrastructure, and instead seeks decentralized technological solutions that fit India’s economic realities. With international partnerships, certifications in progress, and a close watch on market economics, he is navigating both technology and regulatory challenges to move air taxis and ambulances into everyday use.


 


In this episode, Prof. Satya discusses technical innovations, business pivots, and the path India’s advanced air mobility ecosystem might take in the years ahead.


Chapters


(00:00) The Rise of Aerospace Startups in India


(02:25) Introduction to ePlane Company


(03:41) Technical Milestones and Innovations


(07:27) Pivoting to Air Ambulance Services


(11:14) Market Strategy and Future Projections


(13:49) Global Market Opportunities for ePlane


(20:24) Building the Advanced Air Mobility Ecosystem


(23:57) Innovations in Aircraft Design and Safety


(31:58) The Concept of Deeper Structure in Aviation


(40:05) Ecosystem Development for Aerospace in India


(46:03) The Role of VC in Deep Tech Startups


(49:20) Introducing Amberwings: The Drone Unit


(54:43) Balancing Academia and Entrepreneurship


(57:29) Advice for Future Deep Tech Entrepreneurs


 


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