Shreepoorna S Rao is the founder and CEO of Arctus Aerospace. As a student entrepreneur, Shreepoorna led the development of the Drachen 5K UAV prototype at IIT Madras, combining technical expertise in aerospace systems with hands-on leadership in innovation and startup incubation. Prior to founding Arctus Aerospace in 2023, Shreepoorna held leadership roles in the Centre for Innovation (CFI) and the Finance Club at IIT Madras, and was recognized as a Founder Fellow at South Park Commons. Shreepoorna’s vision is to advance India’s defense capabilities through indigenous UAV technology, focusing on scalable, high-performance aerial platforms for real-time geospatial data and homeland security