Zuppa Secures $1.5M for Indigenous Drone Tech in India's Defence Modernisation
Chennai-based drone intelligence startup Zuppa has secured $1.5 million in a bridge funding round. The infusion aims to bolster the company's research and development efforts, further enhancing its role in India's defence modernisation programmes.
Founded over a decade ago by aerospace engineers Sai Pattabiram and Venkatesh Sai, Zuppa specialises in fully indigenous drone navigation and control systems. These systems are designed to operate effectively in GPS-denied and low-connectivity environments, a crucial advantage in various defence scenarios in India.
The startup's technology stack includes vision-based guidance systems, secure cyber-physical infrastructure, and AI-powered targeting tools, all tailored to meet the specific needs of the Indian armed forces. Zuppa's systems have proven their worth, filling critical capability voids during Operation Sindoor, demonstrating the strategic value of homegrown technology in sensitive operational theatres in India.
The funding round was led by Rahul Dewan, Ajay Gupta, and the Mangwani Family Office. The latest investment is seen as a strategic inflection point, enabling Zuppa to build faster, smarter, and more securely for India's next-generation defence needs.
With this latest funding, Zuppa is well-positioned to continue its innovative work in drone technology. The company's collaborations with academic institutions and government agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), further strengthen its influence on national drone policy and standardisation frameworks in India. This strategic growth will undoubtedly contribute significantly to India's defence modernisation efforts.
Read also:
- YouTube has disbursed over $100 billion to content creators on its platform since the year 2021.
- Investment of $20 million in strategy by the Aqua 1 Foundation of the UAE in Above Food
- Web3 gaming receives a boost as Moonbeam unveils a new platform for game development
- Wealthy entrepreneur David Tepper plans to divest from Nvidia and AMD to invest in a forward-thinking corporation with a market potential surpassing $200 billion.
