Former Skyroot Aerospace Engineers Launch Wave of New Deeptech Startups in Hyderabad
Former employees of the Hyderabad-based space technology firm Skyroot Aerospace have launched a wave of new deeptech, aerospace, and spacetech startups. Since Skyroot began building private rockets in Hyderabad in 2018, its successful missions have catalyzed India's private space sector, transferring complex technological expertise from government laboratories to a new generation of private entrepreneurs.
Several engineers who worked on Skyroot's landmark missions, including the Vikram-S launch in 2022, have transitioned into founders. These new business ventures, which include Perceptyne, Red Balloon Aerospace, and BluJ Aerospace, are focusing on solving complex engineering bottlenecks across the space and robotics value chains.
Raviteja Chivukula, the co-founder of Perceptyne, joined Skyroot as an avionics consultant shortly after its inception and remained with the firm until after the Vikram-S mission. At Skyroot, Chivukula helped architect avionics and actuator systems. He stated that watching Skyroot's founders build the company from scratch gave him the confidence to launch Perceptyne, which now develops dexterous humanoid and semi-humanoid robots for the automotive and electronics industries.
Similarly, Red Balloon Aerospace was co-founded by Sireesh Pallikonda and Dr. CVS Kiran, who left Skyroot in 2025. While at Skyroot, Pallikonda managed international partnerships and Kiran focused on domestic relationships, gaining direct exposure to India's evolving space policy. Their new venture is developing super-pressure stratospheric balloons, tethered aerostats, and long-endurance stratospheric airships.
Another former employee, Amar Srivatsavaya, founded BluJ Aerospace in 2022 after leaving Skyroot following the Vikram-S launch. BluJ is now developing advanced aerospace systems centered on hydrogen propulsion. Srivatsavaya credited his time at Skyroot with giving him the confidence to pursue large-scale engineering challenges.
According to Jainul Abedin, founder and CEO of Abyom SpaceTech & Defence, Skyroot's journey has successfully inspired a new generation of entrepreneurs to build globally competitive space companies, mirroring how the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) historically inspired scientists.
