IIT Madras is rapidly carving out a reputation as a hotbed for groundbreaking tech startups, and Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra believes it might just rival Silicon Valley. “IIT Madras promises to rival Silicon Valley in terms of nurturing startups…! Almost every week there’s news of a new ‘TechVenture’,” Mahindra shared on X.

Mahindra was particularly praising Waterfly Technologies, a startup pushing the boundaries of sustainable travel with its cutting-edge electric seagliders — or Wing-in-Ground (WIG) craft. Praising their innovation, Mahindra said, “What I like about this one is not just the promise of exploiting our vast waterways, but the fact that the design of the craft is stunning! Design Rules!”

These futuristic crafts lift off from water, cruise at an altitude of around four meters and harness ground effect for maximum efficiency. With speeds reaching up to 500 km/h, they blend the speed of an aircraft with the cost-efficiency and agility of a boat, MoneyControl reported.

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Currently, Waterfly Technologies is developing a battery-powered model with a 500 km range. Ambitiously, the company is also working on a hydrogen-electric version expected to cover 2,000 km.

At Aero India 2023 in Bengaluru, the startup showcased its sleek design and revealed its ambitious roadmap: a 100 kg prototype by April 2025, a larger one-tonne version by year-end, and a full-scale 20-seater with a four-tonne payload expected by 2026.