Indian American Vikram Manikonda Joins GRVTY Advisory Board

Manikonda's appointment follows the recent additions of Chief Administrative Officer Mark McNeely and Chief Strategy Officer Peter Ranks, a former CIA assistant director, to the Arlington Capital Partners-backed company.

In his advisory role, Manikonda will counsel GRVTY as it accelerates advanced capabilities for the U.S. Department of War and the intelligence community, drawing on nearly three decades of experience in defense research and development, autonomous systems, and space technology.

He currently serves as Professor of the Practice in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering and chairs the Industry Advisory Board for the university's Matrix Lab. Previously, he was chief technology officer at BlueHalo, where he chaired the Science and Technology Council and oversaw research across defense, space, and counter-UAS portfolios.

Before BlueHalo, Manikonda spent 23 years at Intelligent Automation Inc., serving as president and CEO. He also co-founded cybersecurity firm Cryptonite LLC and established FalkonEye, a free space domain awareness platform. He earned his bachelor's degree from BITS Pilani in India and his master's and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.

His honors include the Glenn L. Martin Medal from the Clark School and a NASA Team Achievement Award. At GRVTY, he joins advisory board members retired Army Lt. Gen. Tom James and former Air Force leader Dave Abba.