It’s not every day you meet a founder who speaks about drones not just as machines, but as quiet problem-solvers in the background of life’s most complex challenges. When I sat down with Muhammad Anas, the sharp yet soft-spoken Founder and CEO of Enord, it quickly became clear—this wasn’t just another hardware startup trying to ride the drone wave. Enord is on a mission to make drones truly intelligent, accessible, and relevant.
Smarter Skies, Simpler Solutions
The idea behind Enord was born from a deep technical insight—and a practical frustration. “Most drones are either too dumb to help or too complex to use,” Anas said with a smile, one that suggested both a problem-solver’s patience and a dreamer’s persistence. He wanted to build something in between: drones that are smart enough to operate independently, yet simple and scalable enough for real-world use.
That’s where Enord’s signature capability—AI on the edge—comes in. Unlike conventional drones that rely on GPS or cloud systems to function, Enord’s machines can analyze data and make decisions in real-time, even in places where signals drop or networks fail.
“Imagine a drone flying in a dense forest, inside a factory, or near the border during a communication blackout,” Anas explained. “Our systems can still think, still act—because the intelligence lives onboard.”
One example? The Inspector Lite, a compact surveillance drone used for industrial inspection, agriculture monitoring, and even border security. It’s fast, light, and quiet—but underneath, it’s driven by serious autonomy.
The Human Side of a Hardware Startup
But building a drone startup in India isn’t all flight tests and code. When I asked him about his toughest challenges, Anas didn’t talk about hardware bugs or tech stacks. He talked about people.
“Hiring is hard. But building a team that truly believes in the vision—that takes even more effort,” he told me, candidly. In a domain as niche as autonomous drones, finding the right mix of engineers, designers, and operational minds isn’t just difficult—it’s constant work.
Funding, too, has been a journey. With many startups facing headwinds in India’s funding ecosystem this year, Enord has had to stay laser-focused on what it can control: building solid IP. “We’ve prioritized creating tech that’s hard to replicate and easy to scale,” Anas said. It’s a long game—but one he’s committed to playing.
Beyond the Buzz of Drone Deliveries
While consumer imagination may still be stuck on drone deliveries, Anas sees a bigger picture. “The real revolution is in areas where human intervention is dangerous or inefficient,” he said. That includes disaster zones, defense operations, infrastructure monitoring, and rural farmlands.
Rather than chase trends, Enord is developing what Anas calls a “technology-first, product-second” approach. It’s a mindset that allows their drones to be modular, adaptable, and future-ready—able to serve multiple use cases with the same intelligent backbone.
Growing With the Ecosystem
Toward the end of our conversation, Anas mentioned how important platforms like Indian Startup Times are for startups like his. “Visibility builds trust, and trust leads to meaningful partnerships,” he said, hinting at future collaborations, industry linkages, and perhaps even site visits for those curious about Enord’s on-ground work.
The company is now actively looking to expand—both its team and its partnerships. As government interest in autonomous systems grows and private sector demand for smart infrastructure monitoring increases, Enord is positioning itself to lead from the front.
A Founder Building for the Future
What struck me most about Muhammad Anas wasn’t just his vision—it was his clarity. He isn’t building drones for hobbyists or headlines. He’s building intelligent aerial systems to tackle real-world challenges that most of us don’t even see.
-Interview Conducted by Priyanka Chatterjee
