Garuda Takes Flight Again! Chennai Drone Startup Raises Fresh $1M

Chennai-based drone startup Garuda Aerospace has raised $1 million in a fresh funding round led by the Narotam Sekhsaria Family Office, with support from We Founder Circle and other existing investors, according to The Economic Times.
The new funds will help the company increase its annual drone production from 8,000 units to around 12,000–15,000 units. The company also plans to invest in developing new technologies, and increase exports to about 50 countries by the end of this year.

Agnishwar Jayaprakash, the founder and CEO of Garuda Aerospace, is an international swimmer and has won numerous medals including an Asian Games gold.

This latest funding comes just two months after Garuda raised Rs 100 crore (about $11.6 million) in April 2025 in its Series B round, led by Venture Catalysts. That funding was used to expand their factories and build a research and testing centre for advanced drones.

Before that, in February 2023, Garuda had raised $22 million in a Series A round co-led by SphitiCap and other global investors. It was the largest drone investment in India at the time and helped the company scale its pilot training programmes.

With the latest round, Garuda’s total funding now stands at nearly $53 million (about Rs 430 crore). The company has kept a steady valuation of $250 million since 2023.

Founded in 2015 by Agnishwar Jayaprakash, a former international swimmer, Garuda Aerospace is one of India’s top drone companies. In early 2020, Garuda neared shutdown, but Jayaprakash pivoted to offer sanitisation services using drones, beginning with Tamil Nadu government buildings. Following widespread media exposure he bagged pan India orders from Smart Cities and state governments. – TWL Bureau