Chennai. Zuppa, a pioneering Indian deep-tech company building next-generation drone intelligence systems, has successfully closed a $1.5 million bridge round. The investment that was led by Rahul Dewan—founder of global software engineering company and Sangam Talks includes Ajay Gupta the founder of Capital foods and The Mangwani Family Office, former owners of Aquapharm Chemicals Pvt Ltd – manufacturers of Specialty Chemicals.
This round brings onboard not just capital but strategic credibility, marking a key inflection point in Zuppa’s mission to revolutionise the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) landscape through its patented Made-in-India drone technology.
The new funding will be used to strengthen and expand Zuppa’s footprint in the key area of Defence drones where it enjoys a very high entry barrier on account of its proprietary aatmanirbhar technology where customers are finding solutions for many of the shortcomings faced by Indian drones during Operations Sindoor .
“We’re thrilled to receive backing from entrepreneurs who have built and scaled  iconic, enduring businesses,” said Sai Pattabiram, Founder & Managing Director, Zuppa. “What makes this round of investments  meaningful is not just the funding itself—but the fact that entrepreneurs who have successfully scaled businesses have found value in Zuppa. Entrepreneurs who understand scale, disruption, and product-market fit  finding value in Zuppa’s  deep-tech IP and its relevance in the drone-powered future of India is an endorsement of its unique position in the emerging tech space.” he added.
Founded in Chennai, Zuppa has spent over a decade building robust fully indigenous flight control systems, navigation stacks, and autonomous drone capabilities—all engineered in-house. Their drone solutions are designed to operate in complex, real-world environments without reliance on GPS or high-bandwidth internet—a key differentiator in both Indian and emerging global markets.
“This is more than a bridge round—it’s a launchpad,” said Venkatesh Sai, Co-Founder & Technical Director at Zuppa. “We’re entering an exciting phase where AI and automation will drive next-gen drone capabilities.This funding allows us to build faster, deploy smarter, and expand our ecosystem with long-term vision and strategic clarity” he added.
Zuppa’s proprietary technology has already been deployed across varied use cases in Defence that include Secure drone Cyber Physical Stacks , Vision Guidance , AI based targeting to name a few. Zuppa is also working with academic partners and government programs to shape policy frameworks and tech standards for India’s emerging drone economy.
The inclusion of investors with proven track records in building high-impact businesses significantly enhances the credibility of this round. Rahul Dewan’s Srijan Technologies, known for its excellence in enterprise data engineering, was acquired by US-based Material+ in 2022 , Ajay Gupta’s Capital Foods has created dominant FMCG brands like Ching’s Secret and Smith & Jones, recently acquired by Tata Consumer and Aquapharm Chemicals Pvt Ltd was recently acquired by PCBL Chemical Ltd, a public listed company part of RPSG Group and a global leader in specialty chemicals.
These strategic backers bring not only capital, but deep operational expertise and long-term vision to Zuppa as it scales its technology and global footprint.
