Indian defence-tech startup Vayudh has raised $10 million in a fresh funding round led by Dharana Capital, with backing from a powerhouse lineup of investors including Zomato’s Deepinder Goyal, Ajay Aggarwal of Action TESA, Sumit Jalan, LetsVenture, and Navam Capital. This comes on top of earlier support from Florintree Advisors, further cementing Vayudh’s position as a key player in India’s defence innovation space.
The funding will help Vayudh ramp up research, scale up manufacturing, and speed up deployment of its cutting-edge drones for the Indian armed forces — a major step forward for homegrown defence technology.
Founded in 2016 by Tanmay Bunkar, Anuj Barnwal, and Sarita Ahlawat, Vayudh was born out of a simple yet powerful idea: to build intelligent drone systems tailored for India’s complex defence needs. Since then, the startup has grown into a formidable force, building swarm drone tech, clocking 300,000+ autonomous flight hours, and pushing the envelope on what unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can do.
In 2023, Vayudh was awarded the iDEX Grant to develop what’s now known as India’s smallest surveillance drone. They recently launched Atri, a nano surveillance drone that’s tiny in size but mighty in capabilities — perfect for stealthy, high-precision missions in the field.
What sets Vayudh apart is its commitment to building and testing everything right here in India. This isn’t just about tech — it’s about empowering India’s defence forces with indigenous solutions, reducing reliance on imports, and creating technology that truly understands the local battlefield.
As the world turns to smarter, faster, and more autonomous defence systems, Vayudh is quietly — but boldly — leading India into the future. With this new round of funding, they’re gearing up to take their mission to the next level.
