Zuppa is a drone intelligence startup. It recently raised $1.5 million in bridge funding.
The funding was led by entrepreneur Rahul Dewan, founder of Srijan Technologies. Other investors include Ajay Gupta from Capital Foods and the Mangwani Family Office, formerly of Aquapharm Chemicals.
The startup will use the new money to grow its work in the defense sector.
Its technology was helpful during Operation Sindoor, where it helped improve important tasks.
“This funding is more than capital – it’s validation,” said Sai Pattabiram, Founder and Managing Director, Zuppa. “These are entrepreneurs who have built scaled companies from scratch. Their belief in Zuppa signals that our deep-tech IP has real relevance for India’s drone-powered future.”
“This is more than a bridge round – it is a launchpad,” said Venkatesh Sai, Co-founder and Technical Director at Zuppa. “We are entering an AI-first era in unmanned systems, and this funding enables us to build faster and smarter.” Zuppa also collaborates with academic institutions and government agencies to influence India’s drone policy and standardisation efforts.
Sai Pattabiram and Venkatesh Sai started Zuppa. They create drone intelligence systems made entirely in-house, like flight control, vision guidance, secure technology, and AI targeting.
Their drones don’t need GPS or fast internet to work, so they are perfect for difficult and remote places.
The company has become a key player in defense drones and is taking part in drone missions after Operation Sindoor, which showed some problems with Indian drone technology.
Zuppa’s patented technology is already being used, and the company is also working with universities and government groups to help create national rules and standards for drones.
Read more- IHC Completes Acquisition of eFunder and Rebrands It as Zelo
