Meet Priyanka Singhal, the founder building mission-critical technology for India’s armed forces.
From her beginnings as a DRDO intern to leading Ammunic Systems, she shares her journey of creating indigenous, deep-tech solutions in a high-stakes industry. Discover how purpose — not just business plans — drives true innovation in India’s defence-tech ecosystem.
This is Season 1 of Mic’d Up With India’s Defencepreneurs, presented by Asianet Newsable, featuring the startup leaders building Atmanirbhar Bharat.
#DefenceTech #AmmunicSystems #AtmanirbharBharat #WomenInTech #Founder #IndianArmy #Asianetnews #india
From her beginnings as a DRDO intern to leading Ammunic Systems, she shares her journey of creating indigenous, deep-tech solutions in a high-stakes industry. Discover how purpose — not just business plans — drives true innovation in India’s defence-tech ecosystem.
This is Season 1 of Mic’d Up With India’s Defencepreneurs, presented by Asianet Newsable, featuring the startup leaders building Atmanirbhar Bharat.
#DefenceTech #AmmunicSystems #AtmanirbharBharat #WomenInTech #Founder #IndianArmy #Asianetnews #india
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NewsTranscript
00:00For you as an entrepreneur, what does the post-Sindur landscape look like?
00:04So if I talk about numbers, so whatever we projected for this year,
00:08in the first two months of the financial year, we could already achieve it.
00:15MNX system weaponizes all of the systems,
00:18like you must be hearing this term, loiter munitions.
00:21So what happens is, we weaponize a drone.
00:31So the bomb attachment which goes inside, that's where we get into picture.
00:35When I used to enter some of the boardrooms, and they used to wait,
00:39okay, that somebody else might be coming.
00:41So I used to say, okay, we can start the meeting.
00:43They said, okay, is your male co-founder joining?
00:45I said, okay, having co-founder is perfectly fine,
00:49but why is it like a male co-founder is required?
00:52Specifically, there can be two female co-founders.
00:54There can be one female co-founder.
00:56Small wins in defense actually compound faster than big promises.
01:00Wow, that's a good line.
01:01Yeah.
01:14Hello and welcome to Meet India's Defense Preneurs.
01:17I am your host, Adit Charlie.
01:19And I bring to you stories of men and women who are making Atmanirbar Bharat
01:23a reality in India's defense sector.
01:26My guest today is Priyanka Singhal, CEO and founder of Amunix Systems.
01:32Priyanka, thank you so much for braving Bangalore's traffic
01:35and joining us at the studio today.
01:37Welcome to the show.
01:38Thank you so much, Adit.
01:39It's an honor to be here and sharing my thoughts on this platform.
01:43I'm going to start off by asking you a little bit about your journey per se.
01:47Amunix Systems as a company has been registered since 2019,
01:53but you've been in active operations in the last couple of years.
01:57A cursory look at your website tells me that you are into,
02:00and this is where it gets tricky for me,
02:02you are into things like ammunition integration systems,
02:05you are into things like loitering munitions.
02:07Tell us a little bit about the scope of work
02:10and why did you choose defense tech as your port of calling?
02:16So, okay, Amunix was more born out of purpose than a business plan.
02:23So, when during my internship at DRDO,
02:26so, you know, I was very fascinated with explosive integration technologies
02:30and, you know, how we blast an explosive in layman's language.
02:34So, how does this work?
02:35So, it was very fascinating.
02:36And to see my first explosion live at the DRDO was very mesmerizing.
02:41You don't get to see everyday such sites.
02:43So, yes, that's what gave me a sense of purpose
02:47that we have to do something like that.
02:49What was a pivotal moment for Amunix,
02:51how it was born,
02:52that India was very heavily relying on imported systems for defense.
02:56So, if you cannot safeguard your own house, you know,
02:59and you need to rely on your neighbors,
03:01it's never a good point, you know.
03:03Right.
03:04So, for that,
03:05that is how the Amunix was born out of that conviction
03:09that we need to have defense ecosystem
03:12with indigenous homegrown equipments for the defense.
03:16So, that's how it came into picture
03:19and now we cater to all the three landfares like warfares,
03:23like land, naval and the aerial.
03:25So, I'm going to take you to the beginning of your journey.
03:28When you walk through the doors of DRDO,
03:31you were one of, I would imagine,
03:34thousands of applicants for that DRDO coveted internship.
03:38Correct.
03:38What really was going through your mind while you were applying
03:42and, you know, when you got through finally,
03:44how did that change your approach to defense
03:47and solutioning for defense in a big way?
03:49Okay.
03:49So, it was a very funny story, actually.
03:51So, I always had in mind that I'm going to prepare for UPSC
03:55after my college.
03:57So, I'd already started in my last year preparing for it.
04:00But, you know, all of a sudden,
04:02someone challenged, one of the peer challenged me
04:04that, you know, we were just talking that
04:06everyone was talking as a peer-to-peer
04:08that where are you going to apply for the internship
04:10and all.
04:11So, someone was saying,
04:12Airtel, BSNL, my dad got me here,
04:14my dad got me here, something like that.
04:16And I said, okay, fine.
04:18I'm not really looking into internship
04:20from that perspective
04:21because my goal is something else.
04:24But then they said,
04:25it's not about goal.
04:26It's about you cannot get into the DRDO.
04:28You know, you, these are not,
04:29these are out of our league.
04:30So, it started off as a challenge.
04:33You can say that.
04:34Yeah.
04:34Not in a negative sense, but yes.
04:36So, I thought, okay, let's just apply for it.
04:38You know, I really wanted to see what DRDO is,
04:41like, you know,
04:41and how the whole process goes through
04:44of interviewing something.
04:45So, I just silently applied for it
04:48and got through the interview
04:50and then I was all over the cloud
04:51that, okay, yes,
04:52I could do something like that.
04:53And that's how this DRDO thing started.
04:56It was never into the perfect picture plan before.
05:00But this, but then, yes,
05:02after DRDO also,
05:03I actually went for my UPC preparation bag
05:05because that was just for the time being.
05:07So, first I thought, you know,
05:09I need to be a policy maker for defense.
05:12I was always intrigued for defense,
05:15but I wanted to be a policy maker first.
05:17But then, I don't know how everything,
05:20the stars aligned.
05:21And this is how, where we are.
05:24As the great Steve Jobs once said,
05:27you kind of connect the dots when you look back.
05:29Correct, correct.
05:30And a lot of choices that you make
05:32don't make sense at that point in time.
05:33Exactly.
05:34But when you look back after a few years,
05:36you feel like it was kind of, you know,
05:38part of a larger plan.
05:39100%.
05:39Help us demystify what exactly
05:42Amunik does as a company.
05:44We were talking off air
05:45and you did mention that
05:46the core USP is basically
05:49weaponizing some of our defense systems.
05:52So, walk us through the product line
05:53and where does Amunik basically do the value add?
05:57Okay.
05:58So, in layman's language,
06:00I'll make it simpler
06:00for everyone to understand.
06:02So, basically,
06:03Amunik system weaponizes
06:04all of the systems.
06:05Like, you must be hearing this term
06:07loiter munition these days
06:08after Operation Sindhu quite a lot.
06:11So, what happens is
06:12we weaponize a drone.
06:14So, the attachment,
06:16the bomb attachment
06:16which goes inside,
06:18that's where we get into picture.
06:19So, we basically make
06:21all the systems,
06:22like basically,
06:22the brain of the bombs
06:24fuses that actually tells
06:26explosive when to initiate.
06:29Understood.
06:30Right.
06:30Be it an impact base
06:31or if the user wants,
06:32you know,
06:33after this much time
06:34it should be initiated
06:35or it should be initiated
06:36from this much height.
06:38Whatever the specifications
06:39and the customizations
06:41are required.
06:41So, we basically make fuses
06:43in general,
06:45basically,
06:46explosive integration technologies,
06:48munition integration technologies
06:49that how the brain
06:51will give the signal
06:52to the explosive
06:53to explode at the moment.
06:55Understood.
06:56Got it.
06:57And yeah,
06:57these are some of the buzzwords
06:58that have become part of the,
07:01you know,
07:01regular parlance ever since Sindhu,
07:03loitering ammunition,
07:04loitering munition
07:06and you also have things
07:07like smart fuses.
07:08Correct.
07:09Explain what smart fuses are
07:11and, you know,
07:12how they are important
07:13to our entire defense architecture.
07:15So,
07:16advanced electronic fuses
07:18are like basically
07:19the brain of the bomb.
07:21You know,
07:21earlier it used to be
07:22just simple timer.
07:24Like, okay,
07:25there's a timer clock
07:26going on inside
07:27and the bomb will initiate.
07:28Or like you've seen grenades,
07:29they'll throw it on impact,
07:31it will just blast.
07:32Correct.
07:32Right now,
07:33they are smart chips,
07:34basically.
07:35So,
07:35you can tell them
07:36when to initiate,
07:38they can maneuver
07:38during,
07:40you know,
07:40some awkward situation
07:42because in operational situations,
07:44you don't know
07:45how the situation
07:45is going to be.
07:46Absolutely.
07:46It's not like a missile,
07:47like in loiter munition,
07:48we very rightly compare
07:50that missile,
07:51once you lock the target,
07:52it will go off.
07:53Right.
07:54But in loiter munition,
07:55you can really,
07:56it can wait and watch
07:57in the sky like a hawk.
07:58It can hover there
07:59and once the user
08:01locks the target,
08:02then it dives in
08:03and explodes the target.
08:05So,
08:06similarly,
08:07the electronic fuses,
08:09they basically are the brain
08:10and we tell them
08:12that when to do what.
08:13Okay.
08:14first,
08:14you need to wait
08:16for this much time,
08:17then you need to wait
08:18for the impact,
08:19then you need to wait
08:20if,
08:20you know,
08:21the user wants
08:21a particular height of burst
08:23because it's a very densely
08:24forested area.
08:25Yeah.
08:25So,
08:25they know.
08:26You can just interject here
08:26when Priyanka says user,
08:28it's not an individual user,
08:29it's actually
08:30our triforces.
08:31Yes.
08:32It's the Indian army,
08:33basically armed forces.
08:35Recently,
08:36Munich Systems
08:37raised
08:381.1 million dollars
08:39in funding
08:40and
08:41tell me a little bit
08:42about the timing of this
08:43because we know
08:44that in the last couple
08:45of months,
08:46post-Operation Sindhu,
08:47Defense MSME space,
08:49Defense Tech in general,
08:50Correct.
08:51is getting a lot
08:52of investor attention.
08:53It's getting the attention
08:54of media,
08:55people at large.
08:56Correct.
08:56Everyone.
08:57So,
08:57tell us a little bit
08:58about the fundraising plan
09:00and where are you
09:01going to be deploying
09:02these monies?
09:03Okay.
09:04So,
09:05raising fund
09:06was a really important
09:08milestone
09:08in Munich Systems' journey.
09:10So,
09:10we had some
09:11offers before also,
09:13even before Sindhu,
09:14but that time
09:15we were not actively
09:15looking for it.
09:16That was one tough
09:17point
09:18where I had to
09:19make a decision
09:20that should I be
09:21raising the fund
09:21or should I be
09:23first focusing on
09:23my product
09:24and the trial
09:25because you need
09:26to go single-handedly
09:28to one place.
09:29So,
09:29of course,
09:30on paper,
09:31fundraising looked
09:31more preferential
09:33but then we chose
09:34to pause
09:35the fundraising
09:36and go for
09:37the product
09:38and field trials
09:39and making
09:40the credibility
09:41with the Indian
09:41Army first.
09:42And that eventually
09:43actually helped us
09:44because later
09:45now fundraising
09:46seemed really easier
09:47because we had
09:48product and orders
09:50more than just promises.
09:52So,
09:52yes,
09:52that really helped us.
09:54And if I talk
09:55about the deployments,
09:56we are allocating
09:57the capital
09:58really thoughtfully
09:58as I will say
10:00that talent
10:00is a real multiplier
10:01in our defense tech field.
10:03so a major chunk
10:05will go into
10:05the team expansion
10:06R&D in the core
10:08engineering team
10:08and of course
10:09the machinery
10:10and we have to make
10:12the production
10:13set up for it.
10:14So,
10:15yes,
10:15we will be looking
10:16at scaling R&D
10:18with the right mindset.
10:19Interesting.
10:20As a sole founder,
10:23could you tell us
10:24about important decision
10:26that you had to make
10:27in the recent past?
10:28We were speaking
10:29off air
10:30and you did mention
10:31that
10:31as a company
10:33you are getting
10:34some emergency orders.
10:35I don't want to go
10:36too much into detail
10:37but
10:38to my mind
10:40strategy
10:41at the boardroom level
10:43is not just about
10:45what you do
10:45but
10:46what you take a call
10:47of not doing.
10:49So,
10:49strategy is not just
10:50a bunch of things
10:51that you pick up
10:51for doing
10:51but it's also about
10:53the kind of things
10:54that you
10:54consciously,
10:56intentionally
10:56stay away from.
10:57Correct.
10:58So,
10:58with that background
10:59could you tell us
11:00about
11:00one recent decision
11:01that you had to take
11:02and what were
11:04the trade-offs
11:04that you had to factor?
11:05I think I already
11:06mentioned that
11:07there was in the past
11:08like some months back
11:09before this
11:10Operation Sindhoor
11:11and all of this
11:12emergency procurement
11:13came into picture,
11:14we were getting
11:15quite a good
11:16opportunities
11:17to you know
11:18for the fundraising
11:19but that time
11:21I was very busy
11:23with the product trials
11:24and you know
11:25getting that gain
11:26and credibility
11:27of the user
11:28to understand
11:29our products
11:29and do the field
11:30trials here
11:31and there.
11:32So,
11:32that is when
11:34you know
11:35I had to really
11:36decide as a founder
11:37that what should
11:38I really be doing
11:39because if you
11:39once you start
11:40the fundraising process
11:41it usually takes
11:42seven to eight months
11:43at least.
11:43And generally
11:44in companies
11:44with multiple founders
11:45one founder looks
11:47at fundraising
11:48as a full-time exercise.
11:49Correct.
11:49so in that perspective
11:52I had to really
11:53take a decision
11:53that where my focus
11:55should be right now
11:56but then eventually
11:57I actually took a decision
12:01that okay fine
12:01let's just go with
12:02for now the product
12:04credibility
12:04and the user trials
12:05and this opportunity
12:08will hopefully
12:09be there once
12:09if our product
12:10gets proven.
12:11So that is one
12:13tough decision
12:13I had to make
12:14in the past
12:14and ironically
12:16it really proved
12:17fruitful for us
12:18that fundraising
12:19became very easier
12:21for us
12:22and we had
12:23orders and proof
12:26more than just promises.
12:27So yes
12:28even though it stretched
12:29us thin quite a lot
12:30taking that decision
12:31but yes
12:32because the technology
12:33is very capital intensive
12:34and especially trials
12:36you know
12:37you have to go
12:38to this command
12:38you have to go
12:39to that command
12:39keep showcasing
12:40your products
12:41everywhere.
12:42So yes
12:43that does stretch
12:43you thin
12:44but everything
12:45fell in place.
12:47Yeah got it
12:47you talked about
12:48credibility
12:49and I want to draw
12:50your attention
12:51to one of your
12:51recent LinkedIn posts
12:53where in one
12:55of the pointers
12:55you did mention
12:56that the government
12:58actually buys
12:59trust before technology
13:01which I found
13:03fascinating.
13:04Talk us through
13:05you know
13:06the thinking
13:06behind this.
13:07Okay
13:08so when I say
13:10government buys
13:10trust before the
13:11technology
13:12so that is in
13:13the two cents
13:13first
13:14they need to trust
13:15you to be in
13:16right
13:17because they will
13:18not just buy
13:18your technology
13:20can be as great
13:21as possible
13:21but they will not
13:22you know
13:23it will not get
13:24through till the
13:24time they trust
13:25you
13:25they trust
13:26your credibility
13:27and the reliability
13:28of the product
13:28like you have to
13:29really deliver
13:30under pressure
13:31you know
13:31because that requires
13:32and in the other
13:33hand your product
13:34also needs to be
13:35reliable
13:35right
13:36to that extent
13:37that it does not
13:38matter how good
13:39the product looks
13:40but it really matters
13:42when your product
13:43is performing
13:43in the heat of the
13:44operation
13:45in the dark of the
13:46night
13:46yeah
13:47and you know
13:47in every toughest
13:48situation in the
13:49battlefield
13:50the margin for error
13:51is next to nothing
13:52it will cost a life
13:53yeah
13:53so yes
13:54Priyanka tell me
13:55something
13:55from your vantage point
13:57what has really changed
13:59in India's defense
14:00procurement ecosystem
14:02if you will
14:03I've been a journalist
14:04for 17 years
14:06and in the first part
14:08of my career
14:09whenever I used to
14:10talk to companies
14:11that are solving
14:12for defense
14:12especially tech companies
14:13they would say that
14:15you know
14:16opportunity is huge
14:17correct
14:17but procurement cycles
14:18are long
14:19there is an over
14:20emphasis on
14:22being the lowest
14:23bidder
14:23bureaucracy
14:25is a big part
14:27of the process
14:27but now
14:29I see
14:29and this is not
14:30just post Sindur
14:31but even before that
14:33a lot of
14:34young entrepreneurs
14:35like yourself
14:36like yourself
14:37are getting
14:38into defense tech
14:39in a big way
14:40so what has really
14:41changed
14:42and what do you
14:44make of the
14:44current policy
14:45environment
14:46is it enabling
14:47not enabling
14:47so I
14:48earlier also
14:49mentioned somewhere
14:50that this is
14:51the most
14:52policy
14:53enabling
14:53environment
14:54for the MSME
14:55especially the
14:56defense MSME
14:57in the past
14:58decade
14:58so why I would
15:00say that
15:01most of the schemes
15:02which government
15:03is trying to bring
15:04they are very
15:05transformational
15:05you can talk about
15:07make two projects
15:08or you can talk
15:09about the PIL list
15:10or you can talk
15:11about the IDEX reforms
15:12so they have really
15:14lowered the
15:15entry barriers
15:16for MSMEs
15:17you know
15:17having great ideas
15:19but earlier
15:19they had some kind
15:20of a restriction
15:21of a turnover
15:22maybe
15:22or you know
15:23some kind of
15:23a purchase order
15:24earlier
15:25because you know
15:25when you used
15:26to bid
15:26before that
15:27so you need
15:29to have a particular
15:29kind of a turnover
15:30for it
15:31or you know
15:32this much years
15:33of experience
15:34so the entry barriers
15:35are not as
15:35tangent as
15:36the ones used to be
15:37so we just
15:38recently bid
15:38for one of the
15:39tenders
15:39which we never
15:40even thought about
15:41that this is
15:41such a big amount
15:42and you can just
15:43do it
15:43tell us more
15:43we'll win
15:45whenever we'll get
15:46and we'll sure
15:47we'll let you know
15:48sure
15:48so yeah
15:50so of course
15:51MSMEs are now
15:53there's a you know
15:54great mindset
15:55change
15:56they are being
15:57looked upon
15:58as a strategic
15:59partners
15:59more than just
16:00the vendors
16:01and which is
16:01required you know
16:02if we want to
16:03get into that
16:05chain of being
16:06the biggest exporter
16:07we need to see
16:08MSMEs as a team
16:09partner you know
16:10as a strategic
16:10partner
16:11not just the vendors
16:12and yeah
16:13and where we are
16:15lacking here is
16:16that MSMEs
16:17India's manufacturing
16:20production is still
16:21licensed production
16:22like we are still
16:23building the Russian
16:24aircrafts or the
16:25you know
16:25assembling the
16:26French naval
16:28so we need to
16:28have our own IPs
16:30we need to have
16:30our own sensors
16:31you know
16:32we need to set up
16:32manufacturing units
16:33for our own
16:34homegrown sensor chips
16:36government has
16:37really started a
16:38semiconductor mission
16:39also
16:40which is gonna be
16:41really transformational
16:43and great
16:44so yes we are
16:45going ahead
16:46with a very fast
16:47speed
16:48and we'll hope
16:49to see the change
16:50soon
16:51interesting
16:52you talked about
16:53manufacturing
16:53how much of
16:54manufacturing
16:54does a Munich
16:55as a company
16:56do right now
16:57and what is the
16:58outlook on
16:59indigenous manufacturing
17:00going forward
17:00so the question
17:02as in how much
17:03manufacturing means
17:04how much local
17:05content you are asking
17:06in general like
17:07is your play
17:08more of a system
17:09integration
17:10kind of play
17:11so we basically
17:12make the systems
17:13from the scratch
17:14and then it goes
17:15into mass
17:16manufacturing
17:17understood
17:17so from the scratch
17:19to the product
17:19itself everything
17:20is done at the
17:21Munich systems
17:22understood
17:23so there's everything
17:24and do you work
17:25with a contract
17:25manufacturer right
17:26now or you take
17:27care of the entire
17:28R&D to manufacturing
17:29life cycle
17:30we take care of
17:31the entire R&D
17:32to manufacturing
17:33of course there are
17:34some parts where
17:35we take help
17:35from outside
17:36like you know
17:37the PCB fabrication
17:38or something
17:39because to scale
17:41you know you need
17:42to put your money
17:43at the right point
17:45at the right
17:45machinery right
17:46so if something
17:47can be done
17:48outsourced
17:48you just do that
17:49most of the
17:50manufacturing happens
17:51in house
17:51got it
17:52and do you have
17:53a facility here
17:54in Bangalore
17:54yes we do have
17:55a facility in Bangalore
17:56got it
17:57interesting
17:58we talked a little
17:59bit about
18:00operation sindoor
18:01curious to know
18:02did any of your
18:02products see action
18:04during that phase
18:05okay
18:05so we have all
18:06heard about
18:07loitering munitions
18:08yes
18:08so of course
18:08our you know
18:09products saw action
18:12I will not be able
18:13to get into too much
18:14details
18:14understandable
18:15for the security
18:16reasons
18:16but yes
18:17the word loiter
18:19munition got a hype
18:20after that
18:20and yes our systems
18:21were used
18:22and that's when we
18:23realized that we can
18:24do it you know
18:25because your system
18:26can
18:26I usually believe
18:28that defense designs
18:30are never validated
18:31in a boardroom
18:32they're always
18:33validated in a
18:34battlefield
18:34so once they get
18:36deployed you get
18:37the power
18:38and you know
18:38the energy
18:39that yes your
18:40systems could do it
18:41operation sindoor
18:42was a watershed
18:43movement in India's
18:44defense history
18:45defense landscape
18:46a lot of
18:47procurement momentum
18:48has happened
18:51post sindoor
18:52for you as an
18:53entrepreneur
18:54what does the
18:55post sindoor
18:56landscape look like
18:57so if I talk
18:58about numbers
18:59so whatever we
19:00projected for this
19:01year
19:01in the first two
19:02months of the
19:03financial year
19:04we could already
19:04achieve it
19:05so if we talk
19:07about numbers
19:07yes it has given
19:09us a lot of
19:10traction
19:10and you know
19:11as you must have
19:13read some
19:14in the news also
19:15that government
19:16has given a go
19:17ahead for the
19:17emergency procurement
19:18to the Indian
19:19armed forces
19:20capping at 40,000
19:21crore
19:21so you know
19:22everyday emergency
19:23procurement is
19:23happening and the
19:25contract procurement
19:26time has also
19:28decreased to 40 days
19:28that's one of the
19:29reasons we are
19:29speaking now
19:30otherwise we would
19:30have spoken maybe
19:31couple of weeks
19:31yeah so yeah so
19:36the contract
19:37timelines have also
19:38decreased to 40
19:39days and deliveries
19:40within a year
19:40so everything is
19:41going on a really
19:43fast track process
19:44so because you
19:45know the government
19:45is also putting in
19:46a lot of effort
19:47to have this
19:49strategic evolution
19:50to make India
19:51self-reliant
19:52yes
19:52fascinating
19:54Prinka tell me
19:55something as a
19:58first time
19:58entrepreneur in the
19:59defense tech space
20:00you are in an
20:02environment which
20:02has been traditionally
20:03male dominated
20:05has that ever been
20:09a challenge for you
20:10as you look at
20:11scaling the company
20:12of course yes
20:15so when I talk
20:16about the challenges
20:17not like because
20:19now we are living
20:20in a very progressive
20:21era right
20:22but yes somewhere
20:23still those challenges
20:25are there which you
20:27know earlier when I
20:28used to enter some
20:29of the boardrooms
20:30and you know they
20:30used to wait okay
20:31that somebody else
20:32might be coming
20:33so I used to say
20:33okay we can start
20:34the meeting
20:34they said okay
20:35is your male
20:36co-founder joining
20:37I said okay
20:39having co-founder
20:40is perfectly fine
20:41but why is it
20:42like a male
20:43co-founder is
20:43required you know
20:44specifically there
20:45can be two female
20:45co-founders
20:46there can be one
20:47female co-founder
20:48so anything like
20:49that is possible
20:50right
20:50so then I had to
20:52remind them that
20:53okay I have done
20:53this before
20:54and this is my
20:55system so it's
20:56completely okay
20:57and we can go
20:58ahead so yeah
20:59there were some
21:00challenges which
21:00we had to face
21:01but everything is
21:03fine
21:03I've tracked some
21:04of your recent
21:04public appearances
21:05and you are
21:06generally in from
21:07what I have seen
21:08on most of these
21:09panels you are the
21:09only woman
21:12representative in
21:13some sense
21:13is that an
21:14opportunity is that
21:15a challenge how do
21:16you look at it
21:17see it's a double
21:19head sword it's
21:20both ways you know
21:21a coin has double
21:22sides to it
21:23right so yes of
21:24course it's an
21:25opportunity for me
21:25to showcase that
21:26you know every
21:28female out there
21:29looking up to me
21:30that it's a
21:31message that you
21:32know you are not
21:33less than anyone
21:33and you can of
21:34course do it
21:35and if I talk
21:37about the
21:38challenges of
21:38course there are
21:39challenges to be
21:42there alone out
21:43there and you
21:44know you usually
21:45should have an
21:45idol somewhere that
21:46okay you can look
21:47up to in this
21:48case I'm trying to
21:49find one person
21:50from the female
21:52background that I
21:53can really look up
21:53to and you know
21:54interesting yeah
21:55feel that way that
21:56okay you know I
21:57want to become
21:57that yeah but
21:58when I search
21:59internet all over
22:01of course in
22:01government there are
22:02a lot of female
22:03scientists women
22:04scientists everywhere
22:05but if I talk
22:06about defense
22:06entrepreneurship you
22:08do not come across
22:09a lot of names
22:10and you know that
22:11makes it a
22:11challenging situation
22:12as well that okay
22:14how to take this
22:15forward and you
22:16know is am I
22:17going in the right
22:18direction and
22:19everything is going
22:19fine so yeah it's
22:21both ways
22:22hopefully you will
22:23be that person
22:23to a lot of
22:24young girls
22:25watching this
22:26podcast we
22:27definitely need
22:28more you know
22:29we definitely need
22:30a lot more
22:31women at the
22:32forefront of
22:32innovation at the
22:33forefront of
22:34defense tech
22:35but just coming
22:37back to some of
22:37the challenges
22:38that you mentioned
22:39personally I know
22:41at least a handful
22:42of VC firms
22:44who are cagey
22:45about investing
22:46in sole founder
22:47companies right
22:48companies that only
22:49have one founder
22:50no co-founder
22:51have you encountered
22:53such biases in the
22:54past yes earlier
22:56whenever we used
22:57to get you know
22:59traction that you
23:00know they are
23:00looking to invest
23:01at us in our
23:03company in a
23:03munich systems and
23:05then they used to
23:06ask about the
23:06co-founders first
23:07they were very
23:08mesmerized that me
23:09being a female
23:09founder that's
23:11also a very nice
23:12point for them to
23:13really you know
23:14see that okay
23:14someone like me is
23:15doing something but
23:17at the same time
23:17they would also ask
23:18that you know who's
23:19the other co-founder
23:20right but in this
23:21case there was no
23:22other co-founder
23:23because this is all
23:24it was all started
23:25of course I have my
23:26mentors who are
23:27guiding me through
23:27this right and I
23:28will always be
23:29really grateful to
23:31them but in the
23:34board room I was
23:35the only person
23:36always that was
23:37always a challenge
23:38to us yes of
23:39course
23:39on trials I
23:40actually remember
23:41reading somewhere
23:41that the army is
23:43now contemplating
23:44having standard
23:45trial centers
23:46which means as
23:49you said you
23:50know you go and
23:50present to a
23:51user user gives
23:52feedback bring
23:53that feedback back
23:54to your center
23:55iterate on the
23:56product come back
23:57again showcase
23:57to my mind if
23:59this thing takes
24:00off it's going to
24:01be a big game
24:02changer for MSME
24:03100% I agree
24:05it's going to be
24:06a game changer
24:07in the sense
24:08because for small
24:09startups or MSME
24:10you know just
24:11coping up with
24:12the procurement
24:13and trials is a
24:14very big challenge
24:15right it's kind
24:16of a very big
24:17bottleneck you
24:18know that the
24:19fragmented and
24:20repetitive repetitive
24:21trials because
24:22every command wants
24:23the trial in their
24:24own command
24:25correct in their
24:26controlled environment
24:27in their controlled
24:27environment and you
24:28know the timelines
24:29vary and then
24:31okay this time you
24:32are going to this
24:33place and this time
24:34you are going to
24:34this place so of
24:35course by the time
24:37you are done with
24:38all of the trials
24:38and you might get
24:39orders as well from
24:40these trials but
24:41till the time you
24:42complete all the
24:43trials your
24:44technology is already
24:45a generation old
24:46right so this
24:48standard trial room
24:50will yes of course
24:51give you an
24:52opportunity that one
24:53set of trial one
24:55feedback loop and
24:56any MSME can go
24:57there and you know
24:58give their trial it's
24:59going to be a game
25:00changer what has
25:01been your most
25:02exciting most
25:03fulfilling project as
25:04an entrepreneur I
25:07remember once hearing
25:08someone who said
25:09there are two kinds
25:10of projects I do one
25:10that make me a lot
25:11of money and one
25:12that gives me a lot
25:14of satisfaction
25:14correct correct so
25:15for you what has
25:16been that most
25:17satisfactory movement
25:18or one project that
25:19you are super proud
25:20of okay so picking up
25:22one product will not
25:24do justice to the
25:25others but okay to
25:26answer your question
25:27so for me who's
25:29giving you money and
25:31excitement is one
25:32one product so it's
25:34basically loiter
25:35munition as we all
25:37are hearing about it
25:38so when we were
25:39making it for the
25:40first time you know
25:41I had second
25:42thoughts that how
25:43it is going to be
25:43because we had
25:44aligned with one of
25:45the drone companies
25:46and we were making
25:47for it and then then
25:48I was like okay this
25:49is just one use of it
25:50you know where we are
25:51going to use it but
25:51eventually I just
25:53realized that we were
25:54the only ones or in
25:56the startup domain or
25:57the MSME domain that
25:59who were weaponizing
26:00the systems like that
26:01right and there were
26:03if you talk about
26:04drone companies no
26:05offense but there are
26:06thousands or lakhs of
26:07drone companies who
26:08are making drones and
26:09they obviously want
26:10weapons you know to
26:13make their drones into
26:14a loiter munition so
26:16in that sense or not
26:17just loiter munitions
26:18or a gravity drop
26:19munition also so if I
26:21talk about gravity
26:21drop munition it's
26:22basically a drone
26:24dropped bomb so your
26:25drone does not get
26:26destroyed in loiter
26:27munition it's basically
26:28a suicidal drone it
26:30goes and hits itself
26:31right so even the
26:32drone gets destroyed
26:33so that was the most
26:35exciting part of it
26:36and you know
26:36incorporating more
26:37and more user feedback
26:38into it that once we
26:40just made an impact
26:41based fuse that okay
26:42fine once it goes
26:43impacts it hits it
26:44it'll do its job but
26:46then we got a user
26:46feedback that what if
26:47the battlefield is
26:48really densely
26:49populated with the
26:50trees it will hit the
26:52tree and then what
26:53next yeah so
26:55basically then okay
26:56we incorporated you
26:57know height of burst
26:58method you know
26:59proximity fuse so what
27:00will happen is the
27:01user can set okay
27:02according to whatever
27:03wherever they're using
27:05the product they can
27:05set it up that okay
27:07from the bottom they
27:08want three meters height
27:09of burst so it will be
27:11enough to you know
27:13do its job so yes
27:15situations like those
27:17and moments like those
27:18were very exciting where
27:19we got the user feedback
27:20we kept iterating our
27:22product right and we
27:23got into a various
27:24variants of the loiter
27:25munition and the
27:26munitions
27:27for defense tech there
27:29is no readily available
27:30talent pool as such
27:31correct you have to
27:32pick from either the
27:34forces or from PSU's or
27:36from you know core tech
27:38background and the kind
27:40of skills that you need
27:41because you are solving
27:42for the nation margin for
27:45error is very low
27:46correct the kind of
27:47skills that you need and
27:48the kind of iterative
27:49mindset that people who
27:50enter defense tech need
27:52to have is to my mind of
27:54a very different level how
27:56do you get that kind of
27:57a right fitment when you
27:59are hiring for people so
28:00it's basically whenever
28:01you're hiring you cannot
28:02get everything in one
28:03person until unless you
28:05are really hiring a
28:06trained person right who
28:07has worked in another
28:08defense or an aerospace
28:09company and who knows
28:10what they are doing right
28:12so there are different
28:13kinds of posts so once if
28:14you're hiring for a senior
28:15post of course you need to
28:16have someone with a
28:17background in defense so
28:19that they can understand
28:20your product and what goes
28:21behind it but if I talk
28:23about the junior post we
28:24do not just hire people
28:26with some kind of a
28:27background in defense
28:28because that's not needed
28:29at the junior post so but
28:31we can you know really
28:32tell them or you know
28:33frame them in our own
28:35company with our mindset
28:36so we can train them we
28:38have certain training
28:39classes and you know with
28:42particular things the most
28:43important point is how do
28:45they perform under pressure
28:46and how much integrity they
28:48have in themselves how much
28:49purpose they have in
28:50themselves so that's all
28:52which is required we are
28:53there to train them right
28:54I've seen a lot of your
28:55recent LinkedIn posts you
28:57are putting it out there
28:59that hey we are open to
29:01hiring we want more people
29:02we want the right fitment
29:04so that's great to see but
29:07over a period of time do
29:09you think government
29:10support is also needed to
29:12develop that kind of talent
29:13pool in India of course of
29:15course so we need a lot of
29:17vocational training for that
29:18matter or you know to have
29:20our educational policy
29:22framework in a you know set
29:24in a type that we're not
29:27just learning on the book
29:28front okay they're just
29:30reading the text and text
29:31and text but they have to be
29:32applying it to the practical
29:33phase as well yeah so if I
29:36talk about government reforms
29:37they're already doing and you
29:39know there's a lot of ITIs
29:40which are opening so there
29:42you just get to do the
29:43technical part of it you
29:44learn technical part of
29:45whatever your true talent is
29:47so yes government is doing
29:49and we need more training
29:51projects like that where we
29:53can train our workforce
29:55yeah even the from the
29:56ground grassroot level you
29:58know where they can be put
29:59directly into the companies
30:00like ours which where they
30:03are required so yes
30:04interesting shifting gears and
30:07putting the spotlight on
30:09Priyanka the entrepreneur
30:10what keeps you awake at night
30:13see as a founder there are
30:15many tough decisions you have
30:17to make every day so
30:18everything keeps keeps you
30:20awake at night but mostly
30:22what keeps me awake at night
30:24is that I am not just
30:26building a startup I am
30:27building the nation you know
30:29and I'm building something
30:30for the nation right so that
30:32is one dream which does not
30:34let me sleep and that keeps
30:36me awake on most of the
30:39nights that okay what we can
30:41do more and you know what
30:42product we can develop and
30:44how to do that and there are
30:46sometimes tenders you know
30:47tied up where the
30:48procurement is not happening
30:49or maybe it's delayed
30:50because of some reason there
30:51are multiple factors which
30:53you know founder's mind
30:55keeps on going in a loop so
30:57yes there are challenges
30:59yeah but yes majority of the
31:01partners that I see dream
31:02with the open eyes that okay
31:03what I can make more and how
31:05we can make India self
31:06reliant great answer but from
31:08an operational standpoint what
31:10worries you the most about
31:11your journey right now and
31:14where the company is headed
31:15towards okay so as we talk
31:19about hiring it is one in
31:22Bangalore especially I feel
31:23you know because there are so
31:25many startups opening every day
31:26and there are a lot of
31:27opportunities so people keep
31:29switching to to hold a good
31:32workforce at your place and to
31:33keep them motivated is one
31:35thing which really keeps me
31:36awake that okay you have to
31:38really show them that what is
31:39there out for them and why do
31:42they need to stick to it and
31:44even if you are paying them
31:46well but still you know I
31:48don't want to hold off anyone
31:49that's saying okay you know do
31:50not take that opportunity or do
31:51not take that opportunity but
31:53still to see the best out of
31:56what you are giving to them
31:57that requires some time or some
31:59commitment to the company
32:00right because they need to stay
32:01with us and you know see how it
32:03works so keeping the workforce
32:05intact is one point and the other
32:07is you know especially in a city
32:09like Bangalore especially in a
32:10city like talent is always in huge
32:12demand exactly and the other
32:14thing is you know emergency
32:16procurement is going on every day
32:18there's a new tender and there are
32:19new paperwork and every day you
32:22know you have to make new paper
32:23new everywhere new trials going on
32:26yeah so those are the things
32:27operationally they are keeping me
32:29you know awake understood I
32:31remember speaking to a founder
32:33several years back I think this
32:35was Anant Narayan and former CEO
32:37of Myntra correct later on went
32:39on to start Mensa brands if I'm not
32:41mistaken he said that every day as
32:44a founder I have to take maybe 10
32:46big decisions if I get 7 or 8 of
32:49them right that's a very good day
32:51yeah 100% a very good day yeah so
32:54that happens correct who do you turn
32:57to as a sole founder when you get
32:59stuck when you have multiple choices
33:02in front of you do you rely on numbers
33:05do you rely on data do you rely on
33:06people what's your go-to mechanism for
33:09decision-making see I feel numbers are
33:11important but I feel I personally rely
33:15on people more than numbers because you
33:17can get the numbers right whenever
33:20there's a right time you need to have
33:22been the right mindset and you need to
33:23be taking a right decision for that
33:25particular moment you know because
33:26there's never a right decision eventually
33:28so at the moment what is required that
33:31is the right decision you make so I
33:33eventually turn out you know turn back
33:36to people like my father my husband or
33:38I have mentors you know who give me
33:40advice that okay you know as an
33:41entrepreneur what I should be doing and
33:43how I should be doing it and what I
33:45should be looking at it and apart from
33:48entrepreneur I'm also a mother I'm also
33:50you know a daughter a wife so there are a
33:52lot of roles which are aligned so you need
33:54to have a work-life balance as well yeah
33:56so everything keeps rolling and every
33:58day there's a new day in new set of
34:00questions which you need to look at
34:01interesting work-life balance is is
34:05always an interesting moot point in an
34:08entrepreneur's life is that even
34:09possible work-life balance or is the best
34:11you can aspire for is work-life
34:13integration or work-life harmony see work-life
34:16balance as a theory I feel 50-50 is never
34:20a thing that okay you can have a you know
34:22perfect work-life balance it's never
34:24that because your family is also
34:26important and your work is also your
34:27child so I feel a Munich system is my
34:29child and and my own child both of them
34:31requires time so it depends which day
34:34which person or you know a Munich system
34:37requires more of my time or you know my
34:39own family requires so that's how I
34:41balance so it's never a thing that okay
34:43if it's a six o'clock now I need to go
34:45home and you know you know there should
34:46be perfect work-life balance it depends
34:49what requires my attention more yeah you
34:52can't have 50-50 every day you cannot
34:54some days work takes preponderance some
34:57days family takes precedence so that's
34:58how you have to maneuver your system
35:00awesome what would be your top advice to
35:06young women who want to do something in
35:09the defense space okay just believe in
35:13yourself and you know do not build for
35:15brochures build a product and do not wait
35:19for a perfect product to be built just go
35:23with the flow take the user feedback
35:24because right build with the user in mind
35:27that has always been a USP at Munich
35:30systems that we have always seen user
35:32feedback as the you know major mindset
35:36of our building a system because behind
35:38the desk we can build a very cool
35:40technology or something but if it cannot
35:42be deployed in the field it does not matter
35:44in defense right so with that matter and
35:47you need to stay focused and patience
35:48because credibility in defense is not
35:51gifted it's earned you need to stay
35:53focused and patience and eventually just
35:57think from the point of view that you are
35:59building for the nation and you're building
36:01something that will outcast outlast you
36:04you know and you're building for the
36:06nation so just do not try to make a
36:09perfect product yeah a product is never
36:11perfect correct right yeah so in from that
36:14perspective just keep just go from zero to
36:17one yes think about one to ten journey
36:20yeah yeah small wins in defense actually
36:22compound faster than big promises
36:24I know that's a good line yeah I think on
36:26that note we can we can conclude today's
36:29conversation sure thank you so much Priyanka
36:31it was very enlightening and elucidating and
36:34folks if this episode resonates with you do like share
36:39comment and we shall be back again with yet
36:42another defense plenier story
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