MS Dhoni-Backed Garuda Aerospace Secures Investment from Narotam Sekhsaria Family Office Ahead of IPO

StartupTalky News

11 Jun 2025 — 3 min read

Garuda Aerospace Secures Investment from Narotam Sekhsaria Family Office Ahead of IPO

Riding a surge in defence-tech investments and rising drone demand, Garuda Aerospace, India’s leading drone manufacturing company, has secured investment from Narotam Sekhsaria Family Office (NSFO) ahead of its planned Initial Public Offering (IPO). The round also witnessed strong participation from existing investors, including WFC (We Founder Circle). The investment marks a significant milestone in Garuda Aerospace’s growth journey, following the impactful ‘Operation Sindoor Defence Drone Surge.’ This latest funding follows Garuda Aerospace’s successful ₹100 crore Series B round led by Venture Catalysts (VCats), further reinforcing investor confidence in the company’s vision, innovation, and execution.

The strategic funds from the round will play a pivotal role in advancing Garuda Aerospace’s ambitious growth plans. A key focus will be scaling up manufacturing capacity from the current 8,000 drones per year to 12,000–15,000 annually, with a long-term goal of producing 50,000 drones in the coming years. The investment will also accelerate research and development efforts aimed at achieving full indigenization of both airborne and ground defence drone systems within the next 3–5 years, thereby reinforcing India’s self-reliance in defence technology. Additionally, Garuda Aerospace aims to expand its export footprint to 50 countries by 2025.

“We are delighted to welcome the Narotam Sekhsaria Family Office as a strategic investor. Their belief in our journey reinforces our mission to build a global drone-tech champion from India. This investment powers our next phase of growth, focused on innovation, national service, and global scale,” said Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO of Garuda Aerospace.

The recent Indo-Pak conflict has underscored the strategic importance of indigenous drone capabilities, placing companies like Garuda Aerospace at the center of India’s defence-tech evolution. Originally known for its agricultural drones, Garuda has rapidly transformed into a multi-sector drone manufacturer, producing advanced systems for surveillance, monitoring, and logistics payload delivery within the defence sector.

The company has sold over 4,000 drones and served more than 400 clients, supported by strategic partnerships with global giants such as Thales, Elbit Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Cognizant. Its collaborations with key Defence PSUs like HAL and BEML, along with impactful initiatives like “Namo Drone Didi,” further highlight its commitment to national service.

With deep domain expertise, a robust operational foundation, a diversified product portfolio, and strong investor backing, Garuda Aerospace stands at the forefront of India’s drone revolution. Positioned for both domestic leadership and global expansion, the company’s consistent performance and bold vision signal strong readiness for its upcoming IPO.

About Garuda Aerospace

Garuda Aerospace is India’s leading Drone tech start-up focused on disrupting two major multi-billion-dollar sectors, Precision Agri Tech and Industry 4.0 upgradation. Garuda Aerospace is asset-light, recession-proof, and agnostic and focuses on eliminating labourers in the agricultural field with drones focusing on designing, building, and customisation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

Founded in 2015 with a team of 5, Garuda has scaled to a 200+ member team, having the largest drone fleet in India with over 400 drones and 500 pilots operating in 84 cities. Garuda Aerospace manufactures 30 types of drones and offers 50 types of services. Having served over 750 clients, including TATA, Godrej, Adani, Reliance, Swiggy, Flipkart, Delhivery, L&T, Survey of India, SAIL, NTPC, IOCL, Smart cities, Intel, Amazon, Wipro, IISC, MIT Boston, NHAI for various projects, the company recently partnered with global giants such as Lockheed Martin, Cognizant and Elbit Systems.

Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji launched the drone yatra, where 100 drones were flagged off simultaneously across 100 villages in India. Garuda Aerospace is the first drone company to get DGCA approvals for Type Certification and Remote Pilot Training Organisation. Garuda is on a mission to impact 1 billion lives positively using affordable precision Drone Technology. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has invested in the company and is the Brand Ambassador.