A Young Visionary's Quest to Keep Aircraft Aloft for Years

Reimagining Aviation: The Alteon Revolution

When we think of aviation, we typically picture aircraft powered by fuel or batteries — a model that has defined the industry for decades. But a young entrepreneur from Bengaluru is challenging that very premise. Samay Sanghvi, just 20 years old when he founded Alteon, is developing autonomous aircraft that could potentially stay airborne for months by harvesting wind energy — an idea that draws inspiration from nature itself.

"Once you build airplanes that can stay in the air for more than a year, there are millions of things you can do with them," said Sanghvi to TechCrunch. "We're not just talking about flying machines — we're talking about persistent aerial platforms."

The company's breakthrough concept is based on dynamic soaring, a technique that albatrosses use to extract energy from wind shear in the atmosphere. By repeatedly flying between layers of air moving at different speeds, these birds can stay aloft with minimal energy expenditure. Alteon's aircraft will mimic this behavior — an ambitious engineering feat that could redefine what's possible in flight.

A New Kind of Energy Harvesting

Unlike conventional aircraft that must carry fuel or battery power, Alteon's design aims to continuously replenish its energy supply through wind. This approach allows for a significant reduction in weight and operational cost, making the aircraft potentially ideal for long-term surveillance, environmental monitoring, and even renewable energy generation.

"The initial plan is to build an aircraft with around a 3-meter wingspan that will fly close to the ocean's surface, climb, and turn through faster-moving air, and repeat the cycle to gain energy from the wind," Sanghvi explained. Eventually, he envisions using propellers as turbines to convert some of that wind energy into electricity, recharging onboard batteries.

This is not merely a theoretical exercise. Alteon has already conducted several test flights, including a recent one over the Bay of Bengal where its aircraft autonomously completed seven O-shaped cycles at over 62 mph, flying within a meter of the water's surface. While still in early development, this success marks an important step toward proving the viability of dynamic soaring for sustained flight.

From Crashes to Capital: The Journey of Alteon

Sanghvi's path to founding Alteon was far from conventional. After completing high school in 2023, he began tinkering with radio-controlled aircraft — a hobby that quickly evolved into a passion for aerospace engineering. His early prototypes were built through trial and error, often resulting in crashes — a testament to the hands-on learning that shaped his technical understanding.

"I started building aircraft by making — and crashing — RC models," he recalled. "That experience taught me how to iterate quickly and build resilience into my designs."

In 2025, Sanghvi formally launched Alteon, initially supported by Emergent Ventures and 1517. With his vision gaining traction, the company soon attracted significant investment — including a $2.5 million pre-seed round led by Lachy Groom, a prominent solo investor known for backing high-risk, high-reward ventures.

"Ambitious problems are always going to come with risks," said Groom. "For me, it came down to believing Samay and the Alteon team are the ones to figure them out."

Groom's swift decision to invest within 30 minutes of their first meeting underscores the strength of Sanghvi's vision — a rare commodity in an industry often wary of radical innovation.

Challenges and Expert Perspectives

Despite the excitement, Alteon's journey is not without obstacles. The physics behind dynamic soaring are well understood, but applying them at scale remains a formidable challenge. As Dr. Gabriel Bousquet, a Silicon Valley-based aerospace engineer who studied dynamic soaring during his MIT PhD, noted: "Flying low enough to harvest that energy safely is particularly difficult, as the aircraft would have to contend with turbulence, waves, spray, rain, and changing light conditions while continuously sensing and reacting to a moving ocean surface."

Dr. Bharath Swaminathan, who earned his PhD from IIT Madras studying dynamic soaring, also emphasized the complexity of real-world wind patterns. "While large-scale wind conditions may be predictable, local wind shear and turbulence can vary substantially," he said. "Some of those challenges may only emerge through real-world flight testing."

However, both experts acknowledged that Alteon's approach is commendable — a pioneering effort that could lay the groundwork for a new era in aviation. "Keeping an aircraft airborne for several days using dynamic soaring would itself be 'a very big step, and a big achievement,'" Swaminathan added.

Building the Future: Alteon's Growth

Today, Alteon operates from a 10,000-square-foot facility in Bengaluru with a team of 20 engineers and technicians. The startup is producing four to five aircraft per week for testing — a pace that speaks to both their ambition and operational efficiency.

"We're conducting more than 200 test flights in the past 30 days," Sanghvi shared. "Each flight brings us closer to our goal of energy-neutral dynamic soaring — where the aircraft can fly continuously with its propulsion switched off, extracting enough energy from the wind to remain aloft."

This rapid iteration and testing cycle is essential for a company that operates at the edge of current technology. With the ultimate aim of creating persistent aerial platforms capable of long-term surveillance and data collection, Alteon is not just chasing innovation — it's redefining what aircraft can do.

The Legacy of a Young Innovator

Sanghvi's story embodies the spirit of entrepreneurial leadership that we often overlook in young founders. At 20, he's already built a team, attracted capital, and begun challenging the status quo in aviation — all while learning from his failures and pushing boundaries.

What makes this not just a story about technology, but one of legacy, is Sanghvi's broader vision for how his innovation might reshape industries. From maritime security to environmental monitoring, Alteon could serve as the backbone for a new class of persistent aerial platforms — systems that are not only technologically advanced but also environmentally sustainable.

"We're building more than just an aircraft," Sanghvi stated. "We're creating a new model for how we interact with our skies."

The investment by Lachy Groom, alongside early support from Emergent Ventures and 1517, signals that the tech community recognizes not only the potential of Alteon's technology but also the leadership potential of its young founder. In an industry where legacy often means decades of experience, Sanghvi is showing that age isn't a barrier to reimagining what's possible.

As Alteon continues its journey toward energy-neutral flight, it stands as a beacon of innovation — a reminder that the future of aviation may not just be in the sky, but in the wind itself.