Manegar Sarmas Vali

Event Description

Manegar Sarmas Vali is a visionary space tech entrepreneur and the founder and Managing Director of EtherWing Aerospace, a Bengaluru-based startup specializing in spacecraft, launch vehicles, defense-grade drones, and advanced satellite platforms. Hailing from the small town of Kanekal in Andhra Pradesh, Vali grew up admiring the work of scientists at ISRO and DRDO. Driven by this passion, he moved to Bengaluru to study engineering at REVA University, where he excelled in space informatics. He received the REVA Young Scientist Award for creating an agricultural satellite payload designed to evaluate land and measure soil fertility.

Summary

Vali’s journey from a passionate college student to a prominent aerospace industry leader is a testament to grit and relentless innovation. In 2024, while still finishing his engineering degree, he formally incorporated EtherWing Aerospace. Despite facing early rejections when trying to pitch his initial ideas for CubeSats, he persisted, eventually securing mentorship from veteran space scientists and scaling his student venture into a fully functional aerospace firm.

Award Details

REVA Young Scientist Award (2023)