Kerala woman farmer inspires her son to build India’s leading drone startup

In just five years, a student’s idea from Kerala’s Alappuzha has grown into one of India’s leading drone manufacturing companies. Fuselage Innovations, founded in 2020 by BTech graduate Devan Chandrasekharan, now builds drones, offers drone-based services, and was recently recognised by the Kerala government as the Best Agri-Startup in the state.

The spark came after the 2018 floods, when Devan saw how his mother, a Pokkali rice farmer, and others in the region struggled with declining soil health. He wondered whether farming could move away from traditional, soil-based practices to a more data-driven approach. Drones, he realised, could be the key — capturing crop data, analysing it, and enabling precise application of fertilisers and pesticides instead of the blanket methods farmers had relied on for decades.

“Fuselage started as an agritech company using drones in agriculture. Later, we added a service model, secured manufacturing approvals from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and expanded into other domains,” said Devan, the company’s founder and managing director.

In the early days, the venture was entirely bootstrapped. Venture capitalists were hesitant, but support came through government grants and agricultural loan schemes. Pilot projects helped validate the technology, and later, bank funding allowed them to scale further. From Kerala, their services soon spread to farming communities in at least seven states across India.

The turning point came when Devan’s sister, Devika Chandrasekharan, joined as the Director. While he focused on technology and operations, Devika brought business expertise and a strong network. Today, she oversees Fuselage’s overseas operations, including its registered entity in Canada. The company has also secured registration in the UK and is exploring opportunities in the GCC and Africa.

“Right now, we are a 40-member team, but we plan to expand by adding at least 25 more this year. It’s not just a director-driven initiative; our team has been instrumental in redefining the project across multiple applications,” Devan said.

 Fuselage has secured patents, built intellectual property, and participated in accelerator programmes with organisations such as UNDP, EY, and Hitachi in India. Their work was highlighted by Forbes, without even applying, purely on the strength of their innovation and social impact.

For Devan, the recent state award was a proud milestone. “From inception, our focus has been on creating genuine impact. That’s what makes us unique in this segment,” he said.