- Indian-origin Maryland teen declined $300,000 to stay in school and run AI startup
- Founder of Evion, an AI crop analysis tool aiding farmers with drone image maps
- Evion helps farmers predict crop health, optimize water and fertilizer use
An Indian-origin teenager from Maryland is making waves after he turned down a $300,000 (Rs 2.8 crore) offer from a venture capitalist to drop out of high school. The teenager instead chose to continue studying and run his AI company, Evion, full-time. According to Business Insider, Rudrojas Kunvar wanted to ensure his technology remained accessible to those it was designed to help rather than becoming purely profit-driven.
"It was definitely a rough couple of weeks of contemplating. That's a lot of money," Kunvar said.
Kunvar is the founder of Evion, an AI-powered crop analysis platform designed to help farmers monitor crop health using simple drone images. The tool generates detailed crop health maps, allowing farmers to identify areas that need water, fertiliser, or attention, eliminating guesswork and reducing waste.
"Farmers can predict the future of their crops," Kunvar explained, adding that the platform helps pinpoint exactly where intervention is needed instead of spraying entire fields indiscriminately.
About Evion
Evion provides an AI-powered crop analysis tool designed to help small and mid-sized farmers.
Inspired by Tesla's camera-only approach to autonomous driving, Kunvar developed a system that uses images from standard, low-cost camera drones instead of expensive multispectral equipment.
Farmers take aerial photos of their crops and upload them to the platform. The AI generates a colour-coded map (green for healthy, red for concern) to help predict yields and optimise the use of water and fertilizer.
The technology is currently helping farmers across North America, Southeast Asia, and India, helping improve yields and optimise resource use.
Idea for the startup and its Future
The idea for Evion emerged during Kunvar's sophomore year at Poolesville High School in Maryland. A visit to a local community festival in Montgomery County, which is home to a large agricultural reserve, proved to be a turning point for Kunvar. His conversation with farmers revealed a common challenge: accurately detecting crop diseases or early signs of stress.
"I realised many farmers were essentially guessing," he said. "That's when I saw a gap."
Initially, Kunvar explored building autonomous drones but later pivoted to AI software that could analyse images captured by standard cameras. Inspired in part by Tesla's camera-based autonomy approach, he avoided costly sensors and focused on building a lean, software-first system.
To scale the product, Kunvar partnered with collaborator Jacob Lee, leveraging cold outreach and LinkedIn to acquire early users. Breakthrough traction came through partnerships with agricultural non-profits, which enabled pilot programs across farming communities.
"There's so much ambiguity in startups," Kunvar said. "But there's also beauty in it. Sometimes nothing works, and then one small win makes you feel like maybe you can actually do this."
Looking ahead, Kunvar plans to continue expanding Evion while exploring opportunities in AI infrastructure and other emerging technologies.
