Indian defence tech startup Zebu raises $1 million
The funds will fast-track four of Zebu’s mission-critical drones from prototype to battlefield deployment. The Hyderabad-based company is also building an Anti-Drone Swarm System for the Air Force.
Indian defence tech startup Zebu has raised USD 1 million in a pre-series A round led by Bluehill VC.
The funds will fast-track four of Zebu’s mission-critical drones from prototype to battlefield deployment, the Hyderabad-based company, which makes counter-drone and unmanned systems for the military, said in a media release.
With the new funding, Zebu plans to accelerate advanced field testing of these systems, with production readiness and become a key supplier to the Indian armed forces, according to a report by the Hindu Business Line.
“The global counter drone market is expected to reach $11 billion by 2030. Zebu is rightly positioned to capture this market with its top-of-the-line offerings for the armed forces,” Sridhar Parthasarathi, General Partner, Bluehill VC, said. “Its drones have completed extreme tests and are now ready for deployment.”
In the last 6 months, IAF Net Capture Drone, a sky-sentinel that can trap hostile drones mid-air, has gone from a skeletal model to radar integration to reaching military grade certification milestones, Zebu said.
The company is also building an Anti-Drone Swarm System for the Air Force, with rapid-fire pneumatic launchers and set for operational readiness by late 2025, the Hindu Business Line report said.
“The battlefield of the future is AI-led and unmanned, that is inevitable — Zebu is making it indigenously available,” Santosh Balajee, Founder and CEO, Zebu, said. “It’s not just exporting counter drone technology but exporting India’s defense sovereignty to the world stage. There is a massive opportunity to fill the vast gap that exists in integration of tech in our defense sector.”
