How a trip across Asia, a tiny drone, and three dreamers built something bigger than they imagined.
The Spark
It started with a trip to Hong Kong & Japan.
A couple of years ago, I picked up a DJI Mini 4 Pro while travelling across Asia. The moment I flew it, I couldn't believe how rock-steady it was — this tiny machine, hovering in the wind like it weighed nothing.
Something clicked. I was hooked.
— Sonny, CTO
The Curiosity
Electronics. Automotive. Flight.
I'd always been a tinkerer — pulling apart electronics, rebuilding engines, obsessing over anything that moved. Drones were the perfect convergence of everything I loved. I decided to merge all three passions into one and go all in on the drone industry.
Electronics Tinkerer
Automotive Enthusiast
Flight Obsessed
The Believers
I wasn't looking for co-founders.
They found me.
Ravi Shankar Loganathan
Chief Growth Officer
When I came back from the trip, I shared my idea with Ravi. He didn't just listen — he saw the vision immediately. He wanted to invest and be part of the dream. He believed in me before there was anything to believe in.
Praveen Balaj B
Chief Executive Officer
A few months later, Praveen reached out. He was passionate about the same domain and we had so much in common. It felt like the universe was assembling the team for us.
The Wake-Up Call
We watched a ₹8-lakh drone
fall out of the sky.
It happened during pilot training. Sonny and Praveen were getting their Drone Pilot's License when a large, type-certified drone — the kind that's supposed to be rock-solid — just dropped. No warning. No malfunction alert. It simply stopped flying.
That should have been a freak accident. It wasn't.
The Numbers
Praveen dug deeper.
Praveen Balaj B
CEO
He sat down with one of India's leading drone insurance providers. The conversation started casual — and ended with a number that changed everything.
Industry average
months
Every drone in the sky is on a countdown.
The industry didn't have a drone problem.
It had an intelligence problem.
So we set out to fix it — not with better remote controls, but with a layer of AI woven into every level of the stack. Hardware that senses. Software that predicts. Drones that refuse to fall.
The Catalyst
Ravi refused to think small.
Ravi Shankar Loganathan
Chief Growth Officer
Every founding team needs someone who sees the bigger picture. For us, that was Ravi. While we were building and strategizing, he kept asking one question: "How do we make this global?"
His drive for growth helped us think beyond early experiments — to structure our shared passion into a real mission with real ambition. Together, we went from tinkering on weekends to building Sky1.
The Dream Team
Three founders. Three superpowers.
Every startup needs founders with varied skills. We had exactly the right combination.
Sonny Chandra Kumaran
CTO — The Tech Guy
Where hardware meets software. A lifelong tinkerer who fused his love for electronics, automotive, and flight into one obsession — and never looked back.
Praveen Balaj B
CEO — The Strategist
The one who knows what the company needs to do and when. Turns vision into milestones and makes sure every step counts.
Ravi Shankar Loganathan
CGO — The Growth Engine
The first believer. Tasked with growth objectives, partnerships, and making sure the world knows what Sky1 can do.
The Vision
And so Sky1 was born.
What started as one guy with a drone and a dream became the end-to-end intelligent drone ecosystem — purpose-built hardware, AI-powered ground control, and onboard intelligence that thinks in real time.
Hardware & Drones
AI & Autonomy
Full-Stack Ecosystem
Product
SkyBlitz
Hundreds of drones, one choreographer. SkyBlitz transforms the night sky into a programmable canvas — AI-choreographed light shows with sub-250g compliant fleets that paint stories above any venue.
Drone shows
DGCA compliant
Product
FleetOS
The AI-powered ground control station that thinks ahead. Mission planning, real-time fleet monitoring, predictive analytics, and autonomous coordination — all from one command center.
Product
Axion
The onboard intelligence layer. Axion modules process sensor data in real time — detecting anomalies, avoiding obstacles, and making autonomous decisions without waiting for ground commands.
Fault detection
Edge processing
Traction
Trusted by leaders.
Drone crashes prevented
Area inspected
Drone shows performed
Fault detection accuracy
Proudly incubated by AIC CIIC
NITI Aayog, Government of India
Ready to take flight?
Whether you're planning a drone light show, managing a fleet, or building autonomous aerial systems — we'd love to talk.