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Watch Out Rankings 2025: Top 5 Start-Ups in the Defence-Tech Segment

Home-grown guardians of the skies offer a birds-eye view of the world

Rounak Patra
Top 5 Start-Ups in the Defence-Tech Segment Rounak Patra

Newspace Research

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The Bengaluru-based start-up wants to emerge as a leader in creating unmanned aerospace systems for the world, from India. It was founded in 2017 by Sameer Joshi and Julius Amrit. The start-up has secured several contracts with the Ministry of Defence.

In October this year, the start-up built an autonomous drone which can serve as a first responder for search-and-report missions in enclosed and indoor environments. Julius Amrit, the company’s chief of operations and director, says that the most significant advantage their start-up has is its capability to develop and build under-the-hood technologies to create intelligence in unmanned systems.

'We will invest heavily in R&D to build core capabilities essential for next-generation missions and technologies' Julius Amrit, COO and director

Going forward, the start-up will invest heavily in research and development to build core capabilities essential for next generation missiles and technologies, says Amrit. “These capabilities will help address a more extensive set of requirements for unmanned systems by the government of India,” he adds. In May last year, the company achieved a milestone with its solar-powered high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS) platform when it demonstrated 27 hours of flight endurance and achieved 26,000 feet altitude during flight tests. HAPS are unmanned aerial vehicles powered by solar cells and batteries that can fly at very high altitudes. Some of the investors in the start-up include India Discovery Fund, Saanush Holdings, Volrado Venture Partners, Pavestone Capital and SBI Start-Up Branch.

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In 2023, Newspace Research and Technologies entered the Japanese market with a swarm tech solution for disaster management in partnership with Autonomy HD, the robotics company led by leading scientist Kenzo Nonami, to create the Autonomous Swarm Systems for Intelligent and Swift Turnaround (ASSIST).

The technology helps identify disaster survivors, assess damage and collect large-scale data. The swarms are designed for varied endurance requirements and can even distribute tasks among themselves based on requirement over multiple hours.

Garuda Aerospace

The Chennai-based drone start-up designs applications for defence, agriculture, logistics and disaster management. The company was founded by Agnishwar Jayprakash and Rithika Agnishwar in 2015. It has enjoyed the support of investors such as Venture Catalysts and WeFounderCircle since its inception. Former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is also an investor in the company.

'The most important lesson in the journey was adaptability and resilience' Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and chief executive
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The primary focus of the company is to make drones domestically under the Union government’s Make-in-India initiative. In 2024, the company received approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to manufacture small drones and train pilots to run them. The start-up has also collaborated with IIT Roorkee, IIT Madras, Intel and Wipro.

Raphe

The Noida-based aerospace company designs and manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) solutions. Founded in 2017 by Vivek Mishra and Nitin Katyar, the company seeks to become self-reliant in high-tech manufacturing.

In pursuit of that, the company is focusing extensively on research and development and is being mentored by 125 scientists and engineers across the world. The company's products range from lightweight agile surveillance drones to high-endurance heavy-lift logistics drones.

On its website, the company says it is present in more than 20 states and has more than 300 team members.

It further says that it follows a design-led approach. “Design is at the core of everything we do, from our products to our processes, space and culture,” it says, and adds that it encourages team members to take calculated risks in a bid to foster a culture of innovation and creativity.

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Brave New World

Long-endurance drones. Robotic swarms. Situational awareness systems. Buoyed by government initiatives, defence start-ups are leveraging advanced technologies to produce cutting-edge products

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