About Drones sector in India
The Drones sector in India comprises 526 companies, including 144 funded companies having collectively raised $745M in venture capital money and private equity. Out of these, 33 are Series A+ funded.
Drones sector in India has seen 12 acquisitions and 4 IPOs.
This sector includes drones are defined as any powered unmanned aerial heavier-than-air vehicle (manual or autonomous) and excludes unmanned ground, undersea and surface vehicles.
Drones sector is also known as Unmanned Aerial Systems, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Flying Robots or Quadcopter.
Includes manufacturers of consumer, commercial and military, fixed-wing, rotor and tethered unmanned aerial vehicles; providers of software for general operation and control, navigation, autopilot, collision avoidance, fleet management, airspace and flight path mapping; UAV-enabled service providers such as drone/drone pilot marketplaces and rental platforms; drone hardware parts, accessories and peripherals including spare parts, payloads and sensors; drone detection and anti-drone technologies including anti-drone geofencing companies. Excludes unmanned ground vehicles (military, commercial and consumer RC toys), unmanned underwater vehicles; online stores in multi-brand drone retail; drone resellers and distributors; drone-focused online discussion and review forums, and drone-focused social media platforms.
Top Drones Companies in India
There are 526 Drones startups in India which include ideaForge, Garuda Aerospace, Marut Drones, DroneAcharya, Zen Technologies. Out of these, 144 startups are funded, with 33 having secured Series A+ funding.
Over the past 10 years, an average of 41 new companies have been launched annually. Notably, several of these startups have been founded by alumni of IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur and BITS Pilani.
Here is the list of top Drones startups in India
1. ideaForge
Developer of unmanned aerial vehicles. It designs and manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles and associated systems including drones and mapping platforms for use in surveillance,mapping,industrial inspection and public safety applications.
Key facts about ideaForge
- Founded Year: 2007
- Location: Navi Mumbai (India)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $53.8M
- Investors: Celesta Capital, Florintree and 52 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Jun 07, 2023, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 74/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 2 of 907 Competitors
Manufacturer of drones and provider of drone-based solutions across various sectors. It offers drone solutions for agriculture, defense, and enterprise applications. The company also provides drone pilot training and certification programs. It focuses on precision inspection solutions, minimizing risk, optimizing maintenance, and reducing costs.
Key facts about Garuda Aerospace
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: Chennai (India)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $49.3M
- Investors: Venture Catalysts, We Founder Circle and 167 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Jun 11, 2025, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 73/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 3 of 1,148 Competitors
3. Marut Drones
Provider of precision drones for agriculture management. Its product offerings include both hexacopter and quadcopter drones. The drone allows agriculturists to get insights on the health of the soil and nutrients in it, which helps to plan irrigation. Its used for both pesticide spraying and mosquito eradication.
Key facts about Marut Drones
- Founded Year: 2019
- Location: Hyderabad (India)
- Stage: Series A
- Total Funding till date: $6.35M
- Investors: Lok Capital, Clay Capital and 15 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series A, Oct 09, 2024, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 69/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 1 of 43 Competitors
4. DroneAcharya
Provider of drone solutions, training, and services across multiple industries. It manufactures drones and offers related services including surveying, mapping, surveillance, spraying, and delivery. It provides hardware, software, and firmware solutions, tethered systems, along with data, GIS, and digital solutions. It offers defense technology solutions, including terrestrial mapping, strategic planning, and bathymetric solutions. It provides drone pilot training and various drone-related courses. It also offers data intelligence through GIS data solutions.
Key facts about DroneAcharya
- Founded Year: 2017
- Location: Pune (India)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $4.76M
- Investors: Basukinath Properties, Wallstone Capital and 210 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Seed, Feb 17, 2022, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 67/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 6 of 670 Competitors
Provider of training simulation solutions for the defense industry. It provides users with a company that offers product portfolio includes live and virtual simulation solutions for firearms, tanks, driving, mining, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
Key facts about Zen Technologies
- Founded Year: 1993
- Location: Hyderabad (India)
- Stage: Public
- Investors: Emerge Capital, Bandhan Mutual Fund and 3 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Aug 24, 2024, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 65/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 2 of 206 Competitors
Companies founded year-on-year in the Drones sector in India
65 Drones startups in India were founded in 2018 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2025 | 2 |
2024 | 16 |
2023 | 36 |
2022 | 53 |
2021 | 57 |
2020 | 62 |
2019 | 55 |
2018 | 65 |
2017 | 37 |
2016 | 28 |
Stage-wise distribution of Drones sector companies in India
Out of the total 526 Drones companies in India, 144 have secured funding. Among them, 33 have reached Series A or higher, and 21 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 526
Funded - 144
Series A+ - 33
Series B+ - 21
Series C+ - 17
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 526 |
Funded | 144 |
Series A+ | 33 |
Series B+ | 21 |
Series C+ | 17 |
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Funding Trends in the Drones sector in India
Total funding year-on-year in the Drones sector in India
The Drones sector in India saw a total funding of more than $710M in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2024 at more than $268M.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2025 | $156M |
2024 | $268M |
2023 | $115M |
2022 | $85.2M |
2021 | $38.8M |
2020 | $14.9M |
2019 | $8.23M |
2018 | $8.89M |
2017 | $10.3M |
Recent Funding Rounds in Drones in India
In the year 2025, till November 2025, Drones companies in India have raised $178M in equity funding across 33 rounds.
In the same period last year (i.e. till November 2024), Drones companies in India had raised $122M across 51 rounds.
So, 2025 has seen a 45.12% rise in funding in Drones companies in India as compared to 2024.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Drones companies in India:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Seed | 1650 | Nov 04, 2025 | ||
Seed | 3179 | Oct 14, 2025 | and 2 more | |
Seed | 4114 | Oct 06, 2025 | and 4 more | |
Angel | 9196 | Oct 2025 | - | |
Seed | 7509 | 2025 |
Top Investors in Drones in India
Starburst is the top investor in Drones companies in India based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in Drones companies in India:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
Los Angeles (United States) | - | |
Cambridge (United States) | ||
San Diego (United States) | ||
Bengaluru (India) | ||
Coimbatore (India) |
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M&A activity in Drones sector in India
In the year 2025, till February 2025, 1 acquisition happened in Drones sector in India. Last year, in 2024, a total of 1 acquisition happened in Drones sector in India.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Drones sector in India:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Feb 15, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Oct 03, 2024 | ||
Business Acquisition | Dec 26, 2023 | ||
Business Acquisition | Jun 29, 2023 | ||
Business Acquisition | Mar 17, 2023 |
Acquisition trends in Drones sector in India
Here are the acquisition trends in Drones sector in India:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2025 | 1 |
2024 | 1 |
2023 | 3 |
2022 | 1 |
2021 | 4 |
2020 | - |
2019 | 2 |
2018 | - |
2017 | - |
2016 | - |
IPOs in Drones in India
In the year 2025, till September 2025, 1 IPO happened in Drones sector in India.
Here are some recent, important IPOs in Drones sector in India:
Company | IPO Date | Exchange Symbol |
|---|---|---|
Sep 30, 2025 | National Stock Exchange (NSE) | |
Jul 21, 2023 | National Stock Exchange (NSE) | |
Jul 07, 2023 | National Stock Exchange (NSE), Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) | |
Dec 23, 2022 | Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) | |
Mar 30, 2015 | National Stock Exchange (NSE) |
Colleges which produce the most Drones companies in India
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Drones in India
Most number of Drones startups in India have been founded by alumni from IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur and BITS Pilani.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
IIT Bombay | 12 |
IIT Kanpur | 12 |
BITS Pilani | 10 |
IIT Delhi | 6 |
Anna University | 4 |
IIT Guwahati | 4 |
IIT Madras | 4 |
Carnegie Mellon University | 3 |
University of Delhi | 3 |
Harvard Business School | 2 |
Total funding in Drones companies founded by alumni from top colleges in India
In the last 10 years, IIT Delhi graduates' Drones companies in India have raised the most funding among top colleges. IIT Bombay alumni are second, and IIM Calcutta alumni are third.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
IIT Delhi | $108M |
IIT Bombay | $98.2M |
IIM Calcutta | $92.3M |
Anna University | $49.3M |
Harvard Business School | $49.3M |
IIT Kanpur | $31M |
University of Delhi | $15.2M |
IIT Madras | $8.35M |
Indian Institute of Science | $7.02M |
IIT Kharagpur | $6.42M |
Top News in Drones in India
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Asteria Aerospace demonstrates India’s first micro categoryAsteria Aerospace•Jul 22, 2025•Asteria Aerospace
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Garuda Aerospace sets up agri-drones indigenisation facility near ChennaiYourStory•Jun 14, 2025•Garuda Aerospace
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IG Drones, VoxelSensors Partner For Smarter UAVselectronicsforyou.biz•Jun 12, 2025•IG Drones, VoxelSensors
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IG Drones & VoxelSensors Join Forces to Elevate UAV Navigation in GPS-Denied Zones
IndianWeb2•Jun 12, 2025•IG Drones, VoxelSensors
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Skye Air to Launch Drone Deliveries Across Delhi-NCR, Targets 5 Million Shipments in 2025Logistics Insider•Apr 09, 2025•Skye Air
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Garuda Aerospace Invests In Defence Drone Start-up ZuppaThe Hindu•Mar 06, 2025•Garuda Aerospace, ZUPPA
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VC firm Finvolve aims to invest Rs 300-350 Cr in 2025YourStory•Feb 10, 2025•Finvolve, Matter Labs, Samosa Party, Zulu Defence
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Garuda Aerospace to invest Rs 100 Cr to develop Drone City in Andhra PradeshYourStory•Jan 31, 2025•Garuda Aerospace
