In Nepali society, we are often taught about the value of choices. Like choosing a path on a Forked road, our choices are limited to situations where we are offered to make one. Being indoctrinated to choose a path and stick to it, we are never really taught that choices can change. 

In a world full of coercion to stay stagnant in the name of stability, our entrepreneur Raj Bikram Maharjan has been defined by the agile choices he’s made for himself and his company. His entrepreneurial journey, like many others, started with pure passion. As an aeronautical engineer, he started off working in companies like BMW, Air China, and later in the Himalayas Airlines. While later working on unmanned aerial vehicles, he fell in love with the world of drones.The distinction between a normal entrepreneur and a sustainable one is their ability to analyze the conditions with which their vision co-exists. Maharjan’s proximity to drones came at a time when the field was ripe and unsaturated. At the time, he, alongside his co-founders, was left with a lot of choices. Drones could be used for anything, from delivery to videography. 

In a field that’s fertile with potential, the trio chose to do what’s best not only for their startup but for the country. Maps in today’s day and age are made using GPS. The GPS, while available for public use, is not designed for the intricate gallis and roads of Nepal. 

Maharajan and his team realized their technical prowess and built their first startup, Airlift. The airlift was a startup that would use drone technology to map out areas of Kathmandu. This came especially handy for Nepal, as GPS maps are outdated, and hiring a satellite just for this data is expensive. Maharjan and his team were able to survey areas and calculate their sizes and create area-specific maps that were clearer than the one’s Google maps or any other public mapping service could provide. 

Like every other revolutionary startup, Maharjan and his team spent a lot of time growing funding for Airlift. They won numerous awards and even international awards. Through Airlift, Maharjan was able to be a frontier in the Nepali drone-based industry. However, the most important lesson we can learn from Maharjan’s journey is adaptability. With Covid-19, even though we stayed at our homes, the world came to

us. With the growing delivery apps in Nepal, Maharjan saw another fertile field in the need of updates: a maps app. That’s where Galli comes into play. Gallis a mapping service created especially for Nepal’s small and narrow roads. Especially in the Kathmandu Valley, major mapping services like google maps aren’t able to show you the correct pathways in the maze of small roads. This posed a big problem for delivery drivers and ride-sharing app drivers in the valley. Galli, with maps specially designed for the valley, aims to create a more user-friendly experience, with UI details like 3d views of streets, house identification systems, and road lengths.Even though big competitors exist, Galli proves that if you have something special you should go for it. And through our entrepreneur, Mr. Raj Bikram Maharjan we know that entrepreneurship is not just about making choices, it’s about making the right choices and adapting through changing times.