$100 million boost for drone startup Raphe mPhibr
Bengaluru: Indian drone startup Raphe mPhibr raised $100 million, led by General Catalyst, marking the largest private fundraise in the sector by an Indian company to date. The round also saw participation from existing investors Think Investments, Amal Parikh, and other family offices, bringing the company's total capital raised to $145 million.
The fresh funds will be used to expand Raphe mPhibr's end-to-end aircraft design, engineering, and manufacturing facilities as it positions itself to support India's growing needs for domestically developed aerospace technologies.
Founded in 2016, Raphe mPhibr focused on building mission-critical platforms for the Indian armed forces. Its offerings include the mR10 drone swarm, the mR20 high-altitude logistics platform, the Bharat man-portable surveillance drone, and the X8 for maritime patrol and reconnaissance.
The company said it also developed India's first indigenous military-grade autopilot and internal combustion engine.
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Raphe mPhibr was founded by Vikash Mishra and Vivek Mishra, technologists with deep expertise across aerospace and engineering disciplines. Vikash brings a background in aerospace engineering and nuclear science from MIT, with early experience at Idaho National Laboratory and CERN. Vivek holds a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Tech, specialising in bio-inspired algorithms and sensor networks, and worked in engineering and operations at Bharat Petroleum.
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With over 600 staff, 100 unique IPs, and more than a million kilometres of flight logged across its platforms, Raphe mPhibr operates an aerospace manufacturing campus with dedicated departments in aerodynamics, structural mechanics, materials science, thermodynamics, and electronics. This allows it to design and produce critical equipment for challenging environments such as mountains, deserts, and oceans.
Its state-of-the-art facilities cover metal processing, composites, engine design, and military-grade electronics.
The company collaborated with global aerospace leaders such as Dassault Systèmes, Hensoldt, and Safran. Its focus, a statement said, is to build platforms and technologies that advance India's self-reliance in aerospace and defence, aligning with the country's Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India policies."This funding is more than an investment; it is a commitment to build in India what the country can no longer afford to import," the company said in the statement.
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