Lucknow-Based Kalam Labs Showcases High-Altitude UAVs on Shark Tank India 5
Lucknow-based space tech startup Kalam Labs made waves on Shark Tank India Season 5 with its visionary NearSpace technology, seeking ₹2 crore for 0.67% equity, valuing the company at nearly ₹300 crore. Founded by college friends Ahmad Faraaz, Sashakt Tripathi, and Harshit Awasthi, the startup develops stratospheric drones capable of flying between 33,000 and 1,64,000 feet, offering a cost-effective alternative to satellites for applications like weather monitoring, surveillance, and strategic defence.
The startup’s drones, including Stratospheric ISR UAVs, Retrievable Radiosondes, and Kamikaze UAV swarms, have already been deployed in operational missions with the India Meteorological Department and along sensitive locations like Pokhran and the Indo-China Line of Control. Kalam Labs’ technology emphasizes affordability and flexibility, delivering similar intelligence capabilities to satellites at roughly one-tenth the cost.
Reflecting on their Shark Tank experience, the founders highlighted the platform’s reach in bringing their NearSpace vision to millions of Indians. With a 15-member team and an in-house manufacturing and testing facility in Lucknow, Kalam Labs aims to advance indigenous research and innovation, driving India toward self-reliance in high-altitude aerospace technologies.
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