Dhruv Agrawal
| Dhruv Agrawal | |
|---|---|
 Dhruv Agrawal.jpg Agrawal in 2021 | |
| Born | India |
| 🏫 Education | Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, Safdarjung Hospital, University of California, Irvine, University of London |
| 💼 Occupation |
|
| Known for | Founding Aether Biomedical, Forbes 30 Under 30 |
| Title | Co-Founder and CEO of Aether Biomedical |
Dhruv Agrawal is an Indian entrepreneur, inventor and medical-technology executive, co-founder and chief executive officer of Aether Biomedical, the only Polish manufacturer of bionic upper-limb prostheses.[1]
He was hailed "a visionary in the field of modern medical technology" by Polish media, with the Zeus bionic prosthesis he developed being a "revolution in bionics" and helping Ukrainian war veterans regain their ability to function.[2][3] According to The Economic Times Agrawal's invention played a key role in the success of the Superhumans Center in Lviv.[4]
For his innovative work in med-tech Forbes placed him on their 30 Under 30 list for 2024.[5]
Education
Agrawal was born to medical doctor parents.[6] He studied medicine at Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi before moving into prosthetics and medical technology; he later studied data science at the University of London and received a postgraduate diploma in medical-device regulatory affairs at the University of California, Irvine.[7][8][9] He also holds a degree in electrical engineering.[10]
Agrawal moved to Poland in October 2018 having received private and government funding for his company there. He claimed in an interview that "the longer I live in Poland, the more I realize that there are few places in the world better suited for building a business".[6]
Aether Biomedical
He co-founded Aether Biomedical with Faith Jiwakhan after working with patients with limb injuries; their early work included designing a lightweight, low-cost prosthetic hand for a boy born without a hand, with parts produced using a 3D printer Agrawal had received for his eighteenth birthday. The company was founded in New Delhi in 2016, having received venture capital funding from Chiratae Ventures,[11] but moved to Poland after being selected for the Brinc Poland Prize programme, and was registered in Poznań in 2018.[12]
As of October 2021 Aether's products were available in 12 EU Member States and in Asia.[13] As of November 2024 Aether Biomedical was the only manufacturer of bionic hand prostheses in Poland.[1]
Agrawal’s work at Aether Biomedical has centred on the development and commercialisation of Zeus, a multi-articulating bionic hand intended to be more affordable and easier to repair than many competing devices. Forbes listed Agrawal and Jiwakhan in its 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in Science & Healthcare, noting that Aether had sold more than 400 Zeus units since receiving Polish regulatory clearance in 2020 and had raised about $13.3 million from investors.[5]
Work in Ukraine
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Agrawal and Aether Biomedical became involved in supplying bionic prostheses to Ukrainian amputees. Aether partnered with Superhumans Center in Ukraine to deliver Zeus bionic hands to wounded Ukrainians, with the device’s local repairability and remote configuration described as particularly relevant in a war-affected country with limited access to specialist upper-limb prosthetics care.[14]
In September 2024 The Economic Times noted that Agrawal's company played a key role in the success of the Superhumans Center in Lviv, Ukraine's leading medical facility treating victims of the Russo-Ukrainian war, having provided 70 bionic arms to amputees at the center as of September 2024.[4]
Agrawal has described Ukraine as one of Aether’s most significant areas of work, stating in 2025 that the company had fitted more than 100 Ukrainian patients with its bionic hands and worked primarily with Superhumans on rehabilitation, fitting and post-rehabilitation support.[9]
Aether Biomedical has also cooperated with the Open Dialogue Foundation on a project to provide Zeus bionic hand prostheses to Ukrainian veterans free of charge country-wide, including missions to Ukrainian medical and rehabilitation centers such as Superhumans Center and UNBROKEN Center in Lviv Oblast.[15]
Assault
In November 2024 Agrawal, together with an American doctor coworker, fell victim of a highly-publicised attack by an unknown assailant on a train travelling from Poznań to Cracow.[1] The assailant targeted people of color and exclaimed xenophobic slogans, leading to legal opinions that the attack was a crime motivated by racism, despite the police initially not classifying it as such.[16]
The Cracow police's conduct led to backlash from Polish anti-racism watchdogs, most notably the Center for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Behavior, which pointed out the lack of an appropriate response during the initial phase of the proceedings. While media noted that the aggressor exclaimed "What are you looking for in my country?" preceding the assault, the police referred to him as "being curious about the victims", leading to accusations of the authorities downplaying the racial motive.[2]
The assailant was apprehended by police in Rawicz the day following the attack while attempting to commit a theft. After he was identified as the assailant from the train, it turned out that he was likely responsible for several other attacks that occurred on the same train route.[2]
The incident was later quoted by Polish daily Rzeczpospolita to undermine the 2023 OSCE ODIHR annual report on hate crime in OSCE Member States, which concluded that their number had dropped significantly in Poland, while Polish human rights watchdogs argued otherwise.[17]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sidorowicz, Jaroslaw (19 November 2024). "Hinduski prezes firmy zaatakowany w pociągu do Krakowa. Policja rasistowskiego tła nie widzi" [Hindu CEO attacked on a train to Krakow. Police do not see a racist motive]. Wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Brutalny atak w pociągu PKP Intercity. Ofiarą prezes bionicznej protezy Zeus" [Brutal attack on a PKP Intercity train. The victim is the CEO of Zeus, a bionic prosthesis company]. checkPRESS.pl. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ Brokking, Monika (11 April 2024). "Aether Biomedical: rewolucja w bionice" [Aether Biomedical: A Revolution in Bionics]. TEK.info.pl. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Aether Biomedical: Meet the Indian company which is literally re-arming Ukraine soldiers". The Economic Times. 28 September 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Profile: Aether Biomedical". Forbes. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Paż, Szymon (8 November 2025). "Zeus (prawie) wszechmogący. Jak Hindusi w Poznaniu stworzyli cudowną... dłoń!" [Zeus (almost) almighty. How the Indians in Poznań created a miraculous... hand!]. Głos Wielkopolski. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ "Dhruv Agrawal – Medical Student Turned Engineering Startup Founder Of Aether". KnowYourStar.com. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ "Digital Health Interviews: Dhruv Agrawal, "Aether Biomedical" — the Future of Prosthetic Devices is Already Here". Bekey. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Dhruv Agrawal, CEO, Aether Biomedical". The Leading Difference. 8 August 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ "Thinking Global and Executing Local". Medsider. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ Mathur, Nandita (24 June 2020). "Chiratae Ventures invests in medical robotics startup Aether Biomedical". mint. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ Możdżyński, Bogdan (22 April 2024). "Bioniczne ręce do interesów. Dwaj koledzy z New Delhi przenieśli start-up do Poznania i zdobywają kolejne rynki" [Bionic Hands for Business. Two friends from New Delhi moved their startup to Poznań and are expanding into new markets]. Forbes. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ Szczepański, Cezary (11 October 2021). "Aether Biomedical z finansowaniem. Startup pozyskał 14 mln złotych" [Aether Biomedical Secures Funding. The startup raised 14 mln zlotys]. My Company Polska. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ "Aether Biomedical to Deliver Prostheses in Ukraine". The O&P Edge. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ Mycielski, Martin (25 October 2025). "Prosthetics for Ukrainian veterans. New project by ODF and Aether Biomedical". Open Dialogue Foundation. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ Sidorowicz, Jaroslaw (20 November 2024). "Biznesmen z Indii nie zamierza odpuszczać sprawy pobicia w pociągu. "To nie była zwykła awantura"" [An Indian businessman has no intention of letting the train assault case drop. “It wasn't just a regular brawl.”]. Wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ Ferfecki, Wiktor (19 November 2024). "W Polsce ubyło rasizmu i ksenofobii. Zaskakujący raport OBWE" [Racism and xenophobia have declined in Poland. A surprising OSCE report]. Rzeczpospolita. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
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