Agriculture is one of India’s most important industries, yet many farmers continue to face challenges such as labour shortages, rising operational costs and limited access to modern machinery. For small and medium-sized farmers, expensive equipment can make mechanisation difficult.
Recognising this gap, two IIT Bombay alumni, Aishwarya Ramakrishnan and Kedar Gokhale, decided to build a solution that could make farming easier, more affordable and technology-driven.
Their Pune-based startup, Balisto Agritech, founded in 2024, is developing electric agricultural machinery that combines practical farming equipment with Internet of Things (IoT) technology.
Two Different Careers, One Shared Vision
Aishwarya Ramakrishnan graduated from IIT Bombay in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science in 2010. She later completed her MBA at Harvard Business School in 2016.
Her professional journey included working as Executive Assistant to the Chairman at the Mahindra Group. She also contributed to establishing Krish-e, Mahindra’s agritech venture.
Kedar Gokhale studied Mechanical Engineering at IIT Bombay. Before entering the agricultural technology space, he explored entrepreneurial opportunities and joined Swiggy in 2017.
Having known each other for more than two decades, the two founders shared an interest in agriculture, climate-related challenges and creating meaningful social impact.
Their entrepreneurial journey towards building an agricultural technology business began with exploring opportunities in 2023.
Identifying the Challenges Farmers Face
During their exploration, the founders observed several problems affecting everyday farming operations.
Farmers were struggling with a shortage of agricultural labour, increasing wages and the high cost of machinery. Traditional farming equipment also required considerable physical effort and operating expenses.
They saw an opportunity to develop machinery that could reduce manual work without making technology financially inaccessible to farmers.
This vision led to the incorporation of Higher Orbit Agritech Private Limited in February 2024. The company raised a pre-seed funding round in April to support research, product development and manufacturing.
Introducing Balisto 130 Pro: Electric Power Meets Smart Technology
The startup’s flagship product, the Balisto 130 Pro, is an electric power tiller designed to support multiple agricultural activities.
Powered by two detachable lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries with a combined capacity of 4.6 kWh, the machine can assist farmers with land preparation, weeding, inter-cultivation, puddling and earthing up.
Unlike conventional agricultural equipment, Balisto’s machinery brings digital technology into everyday field operations.
The Balisto 130 Pro includes a Smart Machine Control Unit and IoT connectivity. These features allow remote monitoring of machine performance, operational information and battery health.
The idea is to make agricultural equipment not only easier to operate but also smarter to manage.
Moving Towards Autonomous Farming
Balisto Agritech is also exploring autonomous capabilities for its machinery.
In one demonstration, the machine successfully completed a 180-degree turn using field coordinates and row spacing, without requiring an operator to guide the movement manually.
Such developments point towards a future where agricultural machines can perform more tasks with greater precision and less human intervention.
Although autonomous farming technology is still developing, innovations like these could help improve productivity and reduce the physical demands of agricultural work.
From an Idea to ₹70 Lakh in Revenue
The founders’ efforts have also started translating into business results.
By the end of October 2026, the Balisto 130 Pro had helped the company generate approximately ₹70 lakh in revenue, with around 50 machines sold.
This early commercial progress reflects the demand for practical agricultural solutions that combine affordability, efficiency and modern technology.
For Balisto Agritech, however, the larger objective goes beyond selling machines. The company aims to make mechanised farming more accessible and reduce the physical effort involved in agricultural activities.
Building a More Accessible Future for Indian Agriculture
Agriculture needs innovation that works in real fields and addresses the everyday problems of farmers.
Balisto Agritech is attempting to bridge the gap between traditional farming practices and modern engineering through electric machinery, IoT connectivity and autonomous technology.
The journey of Aishwarya Ramakrishnan and Kedar Gokhale demonstrates how identifying an overlooked problem can lead to an opportunity for meaningful innovation.
Their work highlights an important possibility: the future of agriculture may not depend only on larger machines, but on smarter, cleaner and more accessible technology.
India’s agricultural transformation will need solutions that understand farmers’ realities. Balisto Agritech is working towards making that transformation practical, one machine at a time.
