Aerospace engineer and former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan has urged Indian space-tech start-ups to improve their innovations. In a recent interview, Narayanan emphasized the need for these start-ups to focus on developing better take-off platforms and thruster technology rather than duplicating existing ISRO technologies.
“I haven’t been too happy with the work done by Indian space start-ups,” said Narayanan. “These start-ups can produce better take-off platforms. Our space start-ups are too focused on re-inventing the wheel; they shouldn’t be duplicating what ISRO is already doing, and venture into areas where ISRO does not have expertise.”
Narayanan shared these thoughts during the launch of Vaanam, a Chennai-based space-tech accelerator and Tamil Nadu’s first, where he will serve on the advisory board, helping to select start-ups for the accelerator program. His criticism of the space-tech start-up ecosystem was notably sharp.
Elaborating on his concerns, Narayanan expressed a desire to see more focus on large thruster development: “As a propulsion engineer myself, I would like to see more Indian space start-ups building large thrusters; if we had a large thruster program, we would have already cultivated a large market.”
Narayanan also commented on the Centre’s recent ₹1,000 crore VC fund for space-tech start-ups, introduced in the Union Budget. He questioned the sufficiency of the fund, stating, “Whether ₹1,000 crore is sufficient or not will depend on the kind of programs it is spent on. First, we must see whether start-ups can fully utilize ₹1,000 crore – how many space start-ups emerge, and how many of them are worthy of this VC funding in the first place.”
Meanwhile, Vaanam aims to support six to seven space start-ups in Tamil Nadu over the next eight months. “Most space start-ups do not realize their own scale and the kind of problems they can solve,” said Sameer Bharat Ram, Co-Founder of Vaanam. “I think a space-specific accelerator is important today since space-tech start-ups still face challenges with product-market fit.”
Co-founded by Sameer and Hariharan Vedamurthy, both also co-founders of clean-water start-up BookWater, Vaanam has begun engaging with early-stage space start-ups. “We want to keep the accelerator program fluid and solve specific problems instead of running a blanket program,” Sameer added.
Vaanam plans to induct six start-ups annually, guiding them through building their respective Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and preparing for larger funding rounds. “We are yet to sign contracts, but are in touch with a few names from Chennai,” Sameer said.
