GVFL, one of India’s pioneering venture capital firms, has led a Rs. 6 crore Pre-series A funding round in insideFPV, an indigenous defence drone technology startup, demonstrating its focus on backing high-impact, homegrown deep-tech ventures in the national security space.
The early-stage funding round is aimed at product development and capability building. It has enabled insideFPV to deepen its core engineering work, strengthen manufacturing readiness and advance its defence drone platforms, with a strong emphasis on reliability and operational performance in real-world battlefield conditions.
A significant portion of the capital is being invested in strengthening insideFPV’s core platforms, including FPV drones, kamikaze and surveillance systems, and interceptor drones. The startup is also expanding manufacturing capacity and building working capital to prepare its production lines for higher volumes while maintaining defence-grade consistency. Investment is also being made in rigorous testing and validation to ensure performance during demanding operating conditions, as well as deployment support such as FPV drone operator training, spares and rapid repair capabilities to ensure sustained field readiness.
Commenting on the investment, Mihir Joshi, Managing Director of GVFL, said, “insideFPV represents the kind of deep-tech, mission-driven entrepreneurship that India urgently needs in the defence space. The team has demonstrated a clear understanding of real operational requirements and has built strong in-house Tech capabilities We are pleased to support insideFPV as it scales indigenous and reliable drone platforms for national security.”
Founded in 2020 in the aftermath of the Galwan clash, insideFPV was established to address the critical lack of reliable, combat-ready, indigenous drone systems in India’s defence ecosystem. The company focuses on building battlefield-first drones designed to perform under pressure, rather than lab prototypes. Its platforms have already demonstrated performance in extreme environments, including high-altitude operations with the Indian Army. insideFPV was also the winner of the Him Dron-a-thon, a high-altitude drone competition organised by the Indian Army at an altitude of approximately 16,000–17,000 feet at Wari La Pass in Ladakh.
Arth Chowdhary, Co-Founder and CEO of insideFPV, said, “GVFL’s backing is a strong vote of confidence in our vision to build drones that actually work in real combat situations. This funding allows us to accelerate product development, scale our manufacturing readiness and ensure our platforms remain mission-ready. Our focus has always been to build trusted defence drones that soldiers can depend on when it matters most.”