Roots 2 Disrupt

Cem Uyanik is co-founder and CEO of Urban Ray, a German drone company that will begin operations in 2025 after 5 years of development and regulatory work. By connecting pick-up lockers with flying couriers, Urban Ray's solution enables the fastest and most efficient deliveries. Cem and his team have a vision of a fully connected world where anyone can send goods anywhere in just one day, without human intervention! In this episode, we talk about the challenges Urban Ray's team has faced, their journey straight from university to building a deep-tech company that disrupts multiple industries, and Cem Uyanik also announces for the first time in an interview that Urban Ray has received SAIL III approval from the German Luftfahrt-Bundesamt, which means they can finally start flying in Germany! This is the start of a huge disruption, a better future for humanity, especially in healthcare where even seconds can save lives, but also the death of broken traditional logistics! In this episode, we discuss: How Artificial Intelligence and drones are disrupting traditional logistics The challenges of building an autonomous drone company from scratch How Urban Ray’s flying couriers work with AI-driven logistics The future of drone delivery and the death of broken traditional logistics Exclusive news: Urban Ray’s regulatory approval and what’s next! This Episode is hosted by Ahmad Zandnia. 00:00 – Introduction: Meet Cem Uyanik, co-founder of Urban Ray, and learn how he is disrupting logistics with autonomous drone delivery 00:55 – How Friends Describe Him: Cem shares insights into his personality, ambition, and optimistic realism 03:32 – Shaped by His Environment: How Cem’s background, education, and extracurricular activities led him to entrepreneurship 08:18 – Breaking Away from the Safe Path: Why Cem chose startups over a stable career in aerospace engineering 12:47 – Resilience & The Immigrant Experience: How overcoming challenges as a second-generation immigrant shaped Cem’s entrepreneurial mindset 17:08 – Urban Ray’s Billion-Dollar Vision: What Urban Ray is, how it works, and its potential to revolutionize logistics 21:54 – Building the Right Team: The importance of strong co-founders, mentorship, and learning business skills on the fly 26:40 – Navigating Regulations: Overcoming legal and bureaucratic challenges to get approval for urban drone delivery 32:15 – Funding Challenges in Deep Tech: Why European investors are risk-averse and how Urban Ray approaches fundraising 38:50 – Why Start with Healthcare? The strategic decision behind launching Urban Ray in the medical logistics sector 44:27 – The Technology Behind Urban Ray: How AI-powered logistics and automation drive efficiency in drone deliveries 50:18 – The Military vs. Civilian Use Debate: Why Urban Ray remains focused on civilian logistics and avoids defense applications 55:50 – Parental Reactions to Entrepreneurship: How Cem’s parents initially struggled to accept his startup journey 57:25 – Final Advice for Young Entrepreneurs: Cem’s three biggest lessons on following your passion, having a clear purpose, and seeking mentorship Visit our Website:https://youngfounders.network/ Visit Urban Ray's Website:https://www.urban-ray.com/ Visit Cem Uyanik's LinkedIn Profile: / cemuyanik  - #artificialintelligence #aistartup #techinnovation #futureofai #machinelearning #aifounders #deeptech #airevolution #innovationhub #techforgood #startuplife #entrepreneurmindset #founderjourney #techstartups #buildinpublic #scalingup #fromideatostartup #startupculture #deeptech #failfast #immigrantsuccess #refugeetofounder #firstgenfounder #migrantentrepreneurs #diversityintech #againstallodds #successmindset #dreambig #resilienceandgrit #hustleculture #roots2disrupt #logistics