Recognising outstanding innovation and entrepreneurial excellence, Skye Air Mobility emerged as the winner of the Startup World Cup India regional competition held at the 10th edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026. Organised by TiE Delhi-NCR in association with IMC, the competition provided high-potential ventures a premier platform to showcase their solutions and connect with the wider investment and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Skye Air Mobility is an Indian drone delivery and logistics company that provides fast, autonomous aerial transport for healthcare, e-commerce, and food items. founded by Ankit Kumar, Chandra Prakash and Swapnik Jakkampudi in 2019, it utilizes its proprietary traffic management software (Skye UTM) and custom cargo drones to complete millions of hyperlocal deliveries.
This is the second edition of Startup World Cup India and the India winner now advances to the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in San Francisco, where the winner will compete for a US$1 million investment prize. The regional selection process witnessed an enthusiastic response from across the country, receiving more than 350 applications from startups across diverse sectors. Following a rigorous two-round evaluation, eight finalists were shortlisted to present their business models live before an esteemed jury panel.
The finalist cohort comprised Red Balloon Aerospace Pvt. Ltd., Bariflo Cybernetics Pvt. Ltd., Exeliq Tech Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Arista Vault, LeminAi, Skye Air Mobility, FonadaLabs and Garudalytics Pvt. Ltd. Following the competitive pitches, Skye Air Mobility earned top honours for its technological ingenuity and strong business potential.
The final evaluation was conducted by an eminent panel of industry leaders, venture capitalists and policymakers including Anil Kumar Bhardwaj, Deputy Director General, Department of Telecommunications (DoT); Ashish Kumar, General Partner, Fundamentum; Sheetal Bahl, Partner, Merak Ventures, Mohit Srivastava, Co-Founder, FlapOne Aviation and Angel Investor; Shivika Sethi, Fund Manager & Partner, Satin Growth Alternatives Limited and Ramakrishna P., CEO, India Mobile Congress
Ramakrishna P, CEO, India Mobile Congress, said, “The energy and innovation witnessed during the Startup World Cup regional finale at IMC 2026 demonstrate the strength of India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Our collaboration with TiE Delhi-NCR is aimed at bridging the gap between innovative startups and the global investor network. We congratulate Skye Air Mobility on winning this competitive regional round and look forward to seeing them represent India’s tech prowess internationally.”
The initiative reflects the shared commitment of TiE Delhi-NCR and India Mobile Congress to nurture domestic deep-tech capabilities, identify future industry leaders and provide early-stage ventures with institutional backing to scale their impact. The Startup World Cup India finale was held alongside ASPIRE, IMC’s flagship startup programme, which this year showcased more than 400 startups and brought them together with over 100 investors and 50+ mentors. The track facilitated more than 500 investor meetings and over 150 mentoring sessions, and included a guided Angel Tour featuring 30+ angel investors. Other highlights included Investor Reverse Pitches, in which 15 investors presented to founders, and ASPIRE Live Startup Pitches, where 15 startups pitched directly to investors.
