Mr. Ankit Mehta
Dual Degree (B.Tech.+M.Tech.), 2005, Mechanical Engineering

Mr. Ankit Mehta is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ideaForge Technology -a design focused Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) manufacturer of drones for defense, homeland security and industrial applications. He received his dual degree (B.Tech.+M.Tech.) in Mechanical Engineering with specialization in Computer Aided Design and Automation from IIT Bombay in 2005.

Soon after completing his dual degree, Mr. Mehta started ideaForge along with a team of IIT Bombay graduates in 2007. Mr. Mehta has been the binding force that brought together the founding team of ideaForge since its inception. The company is the pioneer in small and mini UAV segment in India. Under his leadership, ideaForge has become the global technology leader in the VTOL Micro and Mini UAV space and is the market leader in the defence and homeland security UAV segment in India with more than 90% market share. ideaForge UAV have been instrumental in saving the lives of service personnel and civilians in anti-terror operations, disaster response and surveillance missions.

Mr. Mehta’s decision to volunteer and deploy UAVs in disaster-struck areas has helped rescue operations save numerous lives. The government authorities have deployed these UAVs to assess damage, locate survivors, plan access routes and gain crucial on-ground situation awareness particularly during the floods in Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Kerala and Nepal earthquake.

As a member of the UTM Committee, Drone AI task force of the Government of India, Mr. Mehta has been instrumental in defining and standardizing UAV regulations in India and providing neutral policy suggestions to positively impact the entire industry.

As Co-Chair, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Committee on Drones and member of FICCI Young Leaders Forum, he is playing a prominent role in driving the adoption of UAVs in the enterprise sector and transform their business operations.

Mr. Mehta has been listed in the ‘Top 35 Under 35 Entrepreneurs’ in India by Entrepreneur India. He is a member of Drone and AI Task Force of The Government of India and UTM Committee of the Government of India.

Special Memories

“IIT Bombay provided the right environment to bring out the very best in me. I participated and won several technical competitions and received a technical citation in 2005 from the student body of IIT Bombay for contributions to the technical extracurricular activities.

It was the perseverance to win ABU Robocon that brought me, Ashish and Rahul and Ankit, the future co-founders of ideaForge, together. In 2005, we eventually won the national leg of the competition under the guidance of Prof. Amarnath. I hold fond memories of Prof. Amarnath as it was his concept of Innovation Cell that not only gave me the perfect opportunity to secure funds for his ideas but also work close with Prof. Amarnath in promoting technical activities in the institute.”