India, March 11 -- Ankit Mehta's journey from managing college projects at IIT-Bombay to helming ideaForge Technology, one of India's top players in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market, and steering the business to a successful IPO worth INR 567 Cr, presents a compelling startup narrative. But this achievement was not the product of a quick rise; it was a long journey driven by years of R&D and innovation, perseverance and strategic growth.

Launched in 2007 by Mehta, Rahul Singh and Ashish Bhat, ideaForge has emerged as a leading manufacturer of high-performance UAVs or drones built for defence, internal security, disaster management, agriculture and enterprise applications.

Its product lineup includes drones for surveillance and m...