Drone technology company Marut Dronetech has raised $6.2 million in Series A funding from impact investor Lok Capital for key initiatives, including development of advanced agricultural drones tailored to customer needs.
The funds would also help the company to channel partner network and service centres into Tier 2-3 cities to better serve rural customers. The firm is also establishing drone agriculture service hubs to offer Drone-as-a-Service with a partnership approach, the company said.
The company also aims to recruit professionals across all verticals, foster drone entrepreneurship. This includes launching 17 new drone academies to train skilled professionals. It would enhance its research and development efforts in partnership with leading institutions in India to create advanced applications like direct seeding and crop monitoring.
Prem Kumar Vislawath, CEO and co-founder, Marut Drones, said, this investment reinforces the company’s commitment to empower Indian farmers and develop applications for aggregating drone-based services for institutions across sectors.
“The fresh capital will also allow us to make investments in building our team, increasing our manufacturing capacity to 3,000 drones per annum, and marketing to continue scaling at a rapid pace to reach a revenue target of Rs 1,000 cr in the next five years,” said Vislawath.
Hari Krishnan, director of Lok Capital, said Marut aims to bring solutions to farmers and the broader rural economy.
“Drones for agriculture are a novel technology that can secure the health of crops, while also saving water, preserving soil health, avoiding exposure to chemicals, increasing yield to farmers and providing income to village-level entrepreneurs. Our investment in the company will support market expansion, new technology innovations, and indigenous manufacturing efforts,” said Krishnan.
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Founded in 2019 by Prem Kumar Vislawath, Suraj Peddi and Sai Kumar Chinthala, the company has a goal of establishing a pan-India presence. While agriculture will remain a priority, Marut Drones is also exploring disaster management and surveillance applications.
Marut said it is committed to creating rural employment opportunities for Tier 2 and 3 cities, contributing to enhanced productivity and reduced input costs for farmers. The company has grown to over 200 team members and has a fleet of 750 drones and over 1,000 drone pilots across 14 states in India.