# SK “KG” Ganapathi

> SK “KG” Ganapathi is the co-founder and CEO of Vimaan, which applies computer vision and AI to warehouse inventory. A metallurgical engineer educated at IIT Madras and Ohio State, he previously founded Fidelica Microsystems and Verreon, acquired by Lenovo and Qualcomm respectively. His public writing covers customer discovery and sales hiring; his university connections include Berkeley’s MET advisory board and an endowed chair supported with his wife Nita at IIT Madras.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Vimaan
- **Organizations:** Vimaan, Fidelica Microsystems, Verreon, DAS Devices, Qualcomm, UC Berkeley Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology Program
- **Education:** B.Tech in Metallurgical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, MS in Metallurgical Engineering, The Ohio State University, PhD in Metallurgical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
- **Known for:** Founded Fidelica Microsystems, acquired by Lenovo., Founded Verreon, acquired by Qualcomm., Co-inventor on more than 40 issued and applied patents, as described by Ohio State in October 2023.

## Career timeline

- **1985** — Graduated from IIT Madras in metallurgical engineering.
- **1988** — Earned an MS in metallurgical engineering at Ohio State.
- **1990** — Earned a PhD in metallurgical engineering at Ohio State.
- **Before Vimaan** — Founded Fidelica Microsystems and Verreon; the companies were acquired by Lenovo and Qualcomm respectively. Served in technology leadership roles at DAS Devices and Qualcomm.
- **2017** — Founded Vimaan, initially pursuing warehouse drones for inventory counting.
- **2021** — Named an IIT Madras Distinguished Alumnus; Nita and KG Ganapathi Institute Chair inaugurated September 5.
- **2022** — Vimaan emerged from stealth in January, announcing $25 million in combined seed and Series A financing; Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund subsequently invested.
- **2023** — Received Ohio State Distinguished Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in October.
- **2025** — Spoke at BIT Sindri’s June 14 webinar on converging AI technologies for robots and drones.

## Achievements

- Founded Fidelica Microsystems, acquired by Lenovo.
- Founded Verreon, acquired by Qualcomm.
- Co-inventor on more than 40 issued and applied patents, as described by Ohio State in October 2023.
- IIT Madras Distinguished Alumnus Award, 2021.
- Ohio State Distinguished Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2023.
- Member of the Founding Advisory Board of UC Berkeley’s MET undergraduate program.
- Supported the Nita and KG Ganapathi Institute Chair at IIT Madras with his wife Nita.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Scheduled to lead Vimaan’s October 14 ParcelSCAN webinar about the evolution of parcel scan tunnels; upcoming as of October 9, 2026.
- **2025-06** — Led BIT Sindri’s June 14 webinar on converging AI technologies in robots and drones for emerging markets.
- **2025-05** — Signed for Vimaan as CEO in a $1.5 million settlement resolving federal allegations concerning NSF grant eligibility; Vimaan made no admission of liability and there was no determination of liability.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sk-kg-ganapathi-b015a49/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kg-ganapathi
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-09