Boardroom lessons from a 16-year-old CEO: Don't be stressed or hyperfocused on work

Harshwardhan Zala, founder of Aerobotics7, is an inventor at work and a regular teenager at home.

Being a 16-year-old CEO can be difficult — from learning the ropes of running a business to dealing with stress. But Harshwardhan Zala follows a lesson he learnt during a fellowship in Silicon Valley in 2016: “Don’t always be stressed or hyperfocused on work.”

Zala says he applies that learning even while running his company, Aerobotics7. “ We should take some time to enjoy our life as well. I learnt this lesson when I visited the Google office and saw the playground they had for employees. That’s something I try to follow in my company as well,” he said on the sidelines of an entrepreneurship conclave in Mumbai.


Gujarat-based Zala shot to fame a couple of years ago after he designed a smart solution through which drones could not only detect but also defuse landmines on war fields, saving many lives. Despite the nature of his work, Zala says he had a normal childhood.

“I tinkered with technology even as a child. It’s like a toy for me but I still had a regular childhood. In the office, I’m an inventor CEO doing what I need to do but at home, I behave like a kid,” he said.

So, what does he like to do during his down-time? “Play with my cousins and catch up on Doraemon,” he said with a laugh.

Visiting the valley
Zala was invited to visit the Google and Facebook offices as part of a private fellowship. “Over 15 days, I visited the headquarters of these giants, attended a few meetings and even met some investors but I couldn’t find the technology I needed.”

At the time, Zala was looking for a solution to detect and detonate buried landmines without risking human lives. “I started researching the parameters of landmines, the material components, the explosive materials used and how to detect while it’s buried,” said Zala, who worked with a 3D printer to make the chassis for the first few prototypes.

Zala said the device — EAGLE A7 (Escort for Attacking on Ground & buried Landmines as Enemy by Aerobotics7) — was recently tested at an army test field, achieving an accuracy rate of 89-93 per cent.