Devan Chandrasekharan: Innovating technology to aid farmer

With the help of UAVs, the founder and MD of Fuselage Innovations is addressing critical challenges across the farming sector, infrastructure monitoring, and environmental conservation

By Naini Thaker Forbes India Staff

Published: Feb 7, 2025 11:27:30 AM IST

Updated: Feb 13, 2025 05:35:41 PM IST

Full Bio

Devan Chandrasekharan, Founder & MD, Fuselage Innovations Image: Selvaprakash Lakshmanan For Forbes India; Directed By: Kapil Kashyap; Background Image: Shutterstock

Ambika Chandrasekharan, a farmer from Kerala’s Alappuzha district, endured tremendous hardships in the aftermath of the catastrophic floods of 2017-18. The flooding wreaked havoc in the region, severely depleting the soil’s nutrient levels and causing substantial losses in crop yields.

Around the same time, her son Devan had completed his graduation in aeronautical engineering. In the hope to help his family farm land, he says, “I tried using drones for crop prescription, as per plant characteristics, instead of focusing on soil testing.” After a couple of successful trials, driven by the need to address these problems and ensure immediate solutions for farmers, along with his sister Devika, he started Fuselage in 2020.

The startup specialises in the development of technologies based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. It addresses critical challenges across multiple sectors, including post-natural disaster management, especially for farmers, along with infrastructure monitoring, and environmental conservation. “We also help farmers increase efficiency and sustainability by deploying the most advanced solution for mapping and diagnostics of farmland through dedicated UAVs/drones,” explains Devan.

The company has introduced two solutions so far—the FIA QD10 and Nireeksh drones. The DGCA-certified FIA QD10 drone, with its precision spraying capabilities, has been instrumental in improving crop health and managing pests effectively. The Nireeksh surveillance drone provides detailed crop monitoring and vegetative analysis through its multispectral sensors, allowing for informed decision-making. “Fuselage has strong hardware capabilities in the drone space. The model and product have been validated by multiple incubators and organisations,” says Hemendra Mathur, venture partner-Bharat Innovation Fund, and co-founder, ThinkAg.

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In the early days, the duo faced significant challenges, especially in terms of funding and infrastructure. “I approached numerous angel investors and venture capitalists, but many rejected our proposals, citing the lack of a robust support ecosystem for hardware startups,” reckons Devan. Eventually, he turned to banks and secured a ₹7.5 lakh loan. Last year he says, “we achieved a remarkable milestone—a turnover of ₹5 crore”. Fuselage Innovations has set up operations at Maker Village in Kochi—India’s largest electronic incubator facility.

Another ongoing challenge, he says, is, “creating opportunities to implement our technology within existing ecosystems. A persistent gap remains, often stemming from traditional mindsets. For example, despite our drones meeting all Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Government of India certifications, they are frequently overlooked in state government schemes”.

The impact of using Fuselage’s solutions has been incredible. By integrating these drones into their operations, farmers have reported up to 30 percent increase in crop production and 70 percent reduction in crop management costs. Going forward, he hopes to continue scaling further and find innovative solutions for issues such as soil quality and water scarcity.

Devan Chandrasekharan (28)

Founder & managing director, Fuselage Innovations

Agritech