Akshaj Tanay Kumar. Usually Akku.

My name is Akshaj Tanay Kumar, but I usually go by Akku. In Hindi, Akshaj means 'One Who Can Never Be Defeated,' while in German, Akku means 'Rechargeable Battery.' Though I don't think my parents knew the German translation of Akku before giving me that nickname, I feel as if both describe me well: While I fail quite a bit and make many mistakes, I always have a constant source of internal energy that helps me to persevere.

I am a tenacious founder; voracious adventurer and avid reader; and most importantly, a caring son, brother, and friend. All these things give me that energy to keep working on the things I love doing.

I grew up in a small town on the edge of rurality in central Pennsylvania, but through the encouragement and belief from family and friends, sheer hard work, and lots of mistakes, I am now in a place where I get to work on interesting technologies in aviation and meet even more interesting people every day.

My background is in aerospace engineering. I'm cofounder and CEO of Arrow Analytics, working on aviation technology and airport operations. Through MVKA Ventures, I work on automation and software outside aviation. I also make things, play bass, draw and write.

Moreover, I consider myself an adventurer with major wanderlust, having been to all seven continents. Travel and mountaineering are a big part of my life.

Finally, I am extremely interested in both personal and community development, having had the opportunity to help many high school students learn about STEM topics and help immigrants learn English through weekly tutoring. Attempting to read two books every month, I constantly push myself to learn more and use my knowledge to help others. More on that under Service.