Ankit Mehta 

Ankit Mehta is the CEO and Whole-Time Director of ideaForge, a drone manufacturer for defence, homeland security, and industrial applications. He has been associated with ideaForge since its incorporation and has extensive experience in the drone industry. Ankit holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering with a specialisation in Computer Aided Design and Automation from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. Together with his team, Ankit has led ideaForge to become one of the global leaders among dual-use (Civil & Defence) drone manufacturers. In 2022, Drone Industry Insights ranked ideaForge as the 7th top dual-use (civil & military) drone manufacturer globally. ideaForge serves both domestic and international markets with
a wide range of products that have feature-based differentiations such as weight class, endurance class, altitude range, payload types, and more. Notably, ideaForge is one of the few original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) worldwide to have its proprietary autopilot sub-system and ground control station software. The organisation excels in integrating complex technologies to optimize the performance, reliability, and autonomy of its products. In addition to being listed as one of the top 35 entrepreneur under the age of 35 in India by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2017, Ankit was recognised as the Young Achiever of the Year by the Ascent Foundation in 2017. ideaForge has received several prestigious awards, including the Best Product Design Company in A&D at the Deftronics Awards in 2017 by IESA and the Marico Innovation Foundation’s Award for Business Innovation in 2018. Ankit and his Co-founders were honoured with
the Young Alumni Achiever Award by IIT Bombay in 2020. Ankit plays a prominent role in defining and standardising UAV regulations in India as a member of the Drones Task Force, BVLOS BEAM Committee, and the UTM Committee. He actively provides neutral policy suggestions which impact the entire industry positively. Ankit is also the Co-Chair of the FICCI Committee on Drones.