AHMEDABAD: With the pandemic easing up, and the government geared to set up smart schools in the city, Ahmedabad-based startup, KYS Scientific Private Limited will provide science-maths labs. The homegrown startup, which makes telescopes and other scientific equipment, will supply specialized kits for scientific education to some 40 schools across the city. Their specialization is in the manufacturing of different telescopes and uniquely designed planetariums used in astronomy.

Advait Raval, founder, KYS Scientific Pvt Limited, said, “We have bagged the contract through a private firm that will source such kits for schools for the civic body. These kits will be in two parts, one for students of Class 1-8 and another for Class 9-12, which will comprise equipment and toys through which they can learn concepts easily.”

KYS Scientific, incubated at CrAdle, the incubator at Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), received grants of varying amounts under different schemes of the state government.

Raval founded the startup in 2018 when he manufactured telescopes for learning and for scientific purposes. “I took inspiration from my father who worked in Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and always wanted to pursue something in astronomy and electronics. After being incubated in EDII, we received a grant of Rs 15 lakh for product development and marketing,” said Raval, whose firm clocked a turnover of Rs 40 lakh in 2019-20.

The primary aim of KYS is to make the telescope lightweight, which can be moved from one place to another easily. “We make an alt-azimuth mount which offers a high level of precision when aiming and targeting celestial bodies even in reflector telescopes. We use our own technique to manufacture parabolic reflector mirrors of different sizes with highly precise resolution of assured quality,” said the founder.

As online education gained traction after Covid outbreak, uptakes for his products increased significantly.

“In India, there are few manufacturers of telescopes and therefore, the market and scope on the lines of Make in India are tremendous. Demand for our products grew significantly since the lockdown, as not just students but even individuals and educational institutions have been ordering our kits,” Raval added.

The startup has its facility in Ranip area of Ahmedabad and currently operates with a team of 12 persons. “We currently cater to clients in Gujarat, mainly in the cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadsar, and Himmatnagar. Further, we are also in advanced talks with the Science City Centres in Kolkata and in Mumbai, which require our products. People are not currently visiting Science City as they’re closed for public viewing,” said Raval.

“However, as they plan to open and resume activities, we will bag a few orders,” he further said.

PS: Advait Patel, PG alumnus, (2017-19) & Founder of KYS Scienfic Pvt. Ltd. was profiled in The Times of India on 7th January, 2021