Defence tech firm Vayudh secures $10M in funding led by Dharana Capital
Vayudh will use the fresh funds to strengthen R&D, scale manufacturing operations, and accelerate deployments with the Indian defence sector.
Vayudh, a defence-focused drone technology company incubated at IIT Delhi, has raised $10 million in a funding round led by .
The round saw participation from several investors, including Deepinder Goyal (Founder and CEO, Eternal Ltd), Ajay Aggarwal (MD, Action TESA), Sumit Jalan, LetsVenture, and Navam Capital. It had earlier received backing from Florintree Advisors.
The company will use the fresh funds to strengthen R&D, scale manufacturing operations, and accelerate deployments with the Indian defence sector.
“This funding marks a pivotal step in our journey to develop indigenous, cutting-edge defence drone technology of global standards. We remain focused on deepening our R&D pipeline and scaling manufacturing to meet growing demand from India’s defence sector,” said Tanmay Bunkar, CEO, Vayudh.
Founded in 2016 by Tanmay Bunkar, Anuj Barnwal, and Sarita Ahlawat, Vayudh is a subsidiary of BotLab Dynamics Private Limited and develops indigenous drone platforms for defence applications such as battlefield intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). With over 300,000 autonomous flying hours, the company has also deployed its technology in commercial sectors like industrial surveying and drone shows.
Vayudh is particularly known for its work in swarm drone technology and nano-class UAVs.
In 2023, it was awarded the iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) grant to develop India’s smallest surveillance drone. It recently introduced Atri, a nano drone tailored for precision ISR missions.
"India’s rising defence spend and push for indigenization have opened a rare window to build world-class defence tech locally. The Vayudh team brings exceptional technical depth in drone technology—their swarming tech is field-tested, mission-ready, and built in India. We are excited to be part of their growth journey," said Vamsi Duvvuri, Founder and Managing Partner, Dharana Capital.
Vayudh’s drone systems are entirely developed and tested in India, reflecting over a decade of research into UAV technologies for security and defence. The company continues to focus on expanding its indigenous capabilities to align with national priorities in defence innovation.
Edited by Kanishk Singh