# This Once Math-Phobic Student Now Runs India's First Space-Tech Unicorn Worth $1.1 Billion

> Pawan Kumar Chandana, who once barely passed a math exam with 51 marks, left his ISRO job and turned Skyroot Aerospace into a $1.1 billion company in eight years, with its Vikram-1 rocket now successfully placed in orbit.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Success Stories · **Published:** 2026-07-18 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/success-stories/skula-men-maithsa-se-darane-vala-yaha-laraka-aja-chala-raha-hai-bharat-ki-pahali-space-tech-yunikorna-knpani-8552 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Skyroot Aerospace, Pawan Kumar Chandana, Vikram-1 rocket, India private space startup, ISRO, space-tech unicorn

The boy whose hands used to shake at the sight of a math exam paper is now steering one of the biggest private space missions his country has ever attempted. Vikram-1, India's first private orbital rocket, has been successfully placed into its intended orbit, and the mission was led by Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder of Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace. In just eight years, Pawan walked away from a secure government job at ISRO to build the country's first space-tech unicorn worth $1.1 billion, and the world has started calling him India's Elon Musk.

Getting a private rocket into orbit is something only a handful of companies anywhere in the world have managed, and this is the first time it has happened from Indian soil. What makes the story remarkable is that the man behind it once dreaded numbers so much that a math class felt like punishment.

## A fear of math, then IIT changed everything
Born in Hyderabad in 1991, Pawan Chandana was far from a star student growing up. He was so afraid of numbers that he barely scraped through a math exam with just 51 marks. That setback became a turning point because his father refused to give up on him and enrolled him in an IIT coaching class. It was there that his fear of numbers began to fade, and he slowly started enjoying mathematics instead of dreading it.

## Cracked IIT on the first attempt, then turned to rocket science
The coaching paid off in a big way. Pawan cleared the IIT entrance exam on his very first attempt and joined IIT Kharagpur in 2007, where he completed both his BTech and MTech. While his classmates were busy dreaming of high-paying jobs overseas, Pawan found himself drawn to the world of rocket science. That was the moment he realised his real passion lay in machines that could travel from the ground to the sky, not in a fat corporate paycheck.

## Learning the ropes of space science at ISRO
Right after finishing his studies, Pawan joined ISRO as a scientist in 2012. He worked on GSLV Mk-III, India's heaviest rocket, which was used in the Chandrayaan mission, serving as a systems engineer for its solid booster. He also worked as deputy project manager on ISRO's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle mission. His contributions earned him two innovation awards from ISRO. Those years gave him a close, hands-on understanding of space engineering, knowledge that would later become the foundation of his own venture.

## Quit the government job to lay Skyroot's foundation
While still at ISRO, Pawan sensed that demand for small satellites would surge in the coming years and that the world would need rockets capable of launching on demand. Carrying that conviction, he teamed up with his friend Naga Bharat Daka, left his government job, and founded Skyroot Aerospace in Hyderabad in June 2018. Their goal was simple: make spaceflight as effortless as booking a cab from a phone.

At the time, India had no clear policy for private spaceflight, and there was no reliable funding ecosystem for space startups either. Despite these obstacles, the two friends chose to take on one of the toughest engineering challenges in the world, at a point when most people doubted they would ever succeed. There was no ready-made path and no guarantee of success, yet the two friends bet everything on their idea.

## A $1.1 billion company and a spot on the Forbes list
Skyroot Aerospace has since become India's first space-tech unicorn startup. Global investment giants like BlackRock and Temasek have backed the company with funding. After raising a fresh $60 million in May 2026, Skyroot's overall valuation climbed to around $1.1 billion. Alongside this achievement, Pawan Chandana has also found a place on the well-known Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list.

## Why the Elon Musk comparison sticks
The comparison did not come out of nowhere. Just as Musk built SpaceX into a private force in a sector long dominated by government agencies in the United States, Pawan Chandana and his team have charted a similar course on Indian soil. Walking away from a government scientist's job, without policy backing or a ready funding ecosystem, and delivering the country's first private orbital rocket company and first space-tech unicorn within eight years is exactly why people have started giving him that title. A journey that began with a fear of numbers has now reached one of the country's most trusted private space missions.

## What this means for you
- **Across India:** The launch shows that private space companies in India can now pull off complex orbital missions, which could encourage more investment and new startups in the sector.
- **In Hyderabad:** Since Skyroot Aerospace is headquartered in Hyderabad, its rising valuation and funding could translate into more engineering and space-tech job opportunities in the city.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. What is Vikram-1?
It is India's first private orbital rocket, which has been successfully placed into its intended orbit.

### 2. Who founded Skyroot Aerospace?
Pawan Kumar Chandana founded Skyroot Aerospace along with his friend and co-founder Naga Bharat Daka.

### 3. What is Skyroot's current valuation?
After raising a fresh $60 million in May 2026, the company's overall valuation climbed to around $1.1 billion.

### 4. What did Pawan Chandana work on at ISRO?
He served as a systems engineer for the solid booster on the GSLV Mk-III rocket and as deputy project manager on ISRO's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle mission.

### 5. When was Skyroot Aerospace founded?
It was founded in Hyderabad in June 2018 after Pawan left his government job.

### 6. Which major investors have backed Skyroot?
Global investment giants BlackRock and Temasek have put money into the company.

### 7. What recognition has Pawan Chandana received?
He has been named on the well-known Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list.

### 8. How did Pawan Chandana perform in math during his school days?
He was afraid of numbers and once barely passed a math exam with only 51 marks.

## Inspiration & Lessons
- **Turn fear into fuel:** Instead of avoiding his weakness in math, Pawan worked on it and eventually built his entire career around the subject he once feared.
- **The right guidance matters:** His father's decision to enrol him in IIT coaching was the turning point that removed his fear of numbers.
- **Choose passion over the crowd:** While classmates chased high-paying jobs abroad, Pawan followed his interest in rocket science instead.
- **Build expertise before building a company:** Years of hands-on experience at ISRO gave Pawan the technical foundation he needed before starting his own venture.
- **Bet on your idea despite uncertainty:** With no clear policy or funding ecosystem in place, Pawan and his co-founder still chose to back their idea.

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