Noida-based drone maker Raphe mPhibr secures $100M funding
What's the story
Noida-based defense-tech and aerospace start-up, Raphe mPhibr, has raised $100 million in a funding round led by General Catalyst. The investment marks the largest private capital raise in India's aerospace manufacturing sector so far. Other participants in the round included Think Investments and Amal Parikh along with other family offices. With this latest round, the total funding raised by Raphe mPhibr has now reached $145 million.
Strategic contribution
The start-up manufactures a variety of unmanned aerial vehicles
Founded in 2016 by Vivek Mishra and Vikash Mishra, the start-up designs and manufactures a variety of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These include the mR10 drone swarm platform, the mR20 high-altitude logistics drone, Bharat (a man-portable surveillance drone), and X8 (a compact maritime patrol system). Several of these systems are already being used by Indian defense forces with others nearing final validation.
Innovative strategy
Raphe mPhibr's end-to-end manufacturing approach attracts investors
Raphe mPhibr's pitch to investors has been its end-to-end manufacturing approach. The start-up runs a vertically integrated aerospace campus with in-house teams across aerodynamics, materials science, thermodynamics, and other disciplines. Neeraj Arora, Managing Director at General Catalyst, expressed his excitement about the partnership saying they are "proud to join forces with Raphe mPhibr on their transformative journey to redefine engineering led manufacturing across a spectrum of critical applications."
Government initiatives
Funding bolsters India's efforts to grow its private aerospace ecosystem
The funding comes as part of India's larger effort to grow its private aerospace ecosystem. The government has recently transferred satellite launch vehicle technology to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and is encouraging start-ups through programs like Innovations for Defense Excellence (iDEX). This investment in Raphe mPhibr further strengthens these efforts by supporting a homegrown company at the forefront of defense technology innovation.