As a child, Ankit Mehta listened daily to his father’s long talks about great inventors like Thomas Edison, which caused a profound impact. This inspiration led him to the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), where he was an outstanding student. However, he preferred to miss job interviews where his colleagues obtained job offers from the best companies, and to start its company.
Ankit worked in many original ideas that he tested in the Innovation Cell of IIT Bombay. To save money, Ankit worked for a while as a consultant for an Indian company, where he gained experience in sales and marketing.
Before founding the IdeaForge startup, Ankit formed a competitive work team. The experience in the Innovation Cell of IIT Bombay allowed Ankit to meet passionate students in the development of robotics and electronics technologies that stood out in their areas by winning competitions.
Ankit Mehta’s first business idea for IdeaForge Technologies was to develop manual chargers for electronic equipment, but he wanted to follow a more difficult path in an under-exploited market in India at that time: the drones.
For Ankit, the success of a startup is in forming a competitive team. In a robotics competition, Ankit met Ashish, who would be responsible for carrying the electronic plans. When Ankit led the Innovation Cell at IIT Bombay, Rahul contacted him because he was interested in creating hovercraft engines. Finally, Ankit invited Vipul, who had an MBA in Switzerland and who was his friend since childhood.
Ankit knew that his team was able to solve 95% of the work, which has to do with the implementation of technology and its performance. However, the remaining 5% is what turns technology into a product. The comments of its first users were essential to achieve the balance in that remaining 5% and to deliver a quality product.
In 2008, Ankit’s team managed to launch the first drone startup in India with sales.
Currently, the drones developed in IdeaForge offer reconnaissance flights, capture images, as well as having the ability to transmit and record live video with light equipment and more time in the air. This technology is used in India to evaluate areas in disaster situations and to assist paramilitary forces in counterinsurgency actions.
Ankit Mehta received the special jury prize of the Spirit of Manufacturing Awards 2017, an award that recognizes entrepreneurs in the manufacturing of India.
