Drone-tech company Zuppa eyes $16 mn fundraising

CHENNAI: Zuppa Geo Navigation Technologies, a drone-tech company making drones, autopilots and software platforms plans to raise $15 million in Series A to scale business. On Thursday, it said it has received undisclosed investment from Chennai-based Garuda Aerospace.
The investment is part of a million dollar bridge round. Zuppa plans to complete Series A in 12 to 18 months after that, said Sai Pattabiram, its founder and managing director.
Agnishwar Jayaprakash, founder and CEO of Garuda Aerospace, said the investment aligns with the vision of strengthening defence capabilities and offering homegrown, secure solutions. “This investment reinforces our focus on building a robust, self-sufficient drone ecosystem that can cater to both domestic and global markets,” he said.
Zuppa is primarily raising capital for business development and reaching customers. It makes micro (less than 2kg) and small drones and components for drones.
“Since drones are dual use technology there is a growing need to be completely indigenous or less dependent on Chinese technologies. These platforms are crucial in participating in defence tenders,” he said.
The company also sees more opportunities in key western markets post Ukraine war. “India is seen as a trusted partner and has a reputed technology provider in the software space. All of these can be our advantages,” he said.
Founded by father-son duo- Sai Pattabiram and Venkatesh Sai in 2008, the company developed patented computing architecture for drones in 2015. It has so far raised Rs 10 crore from MapmyIndia, IndiaNivesh fund, First Bridge and others