Noida-based defence startup Raphe mPhibr raises $100 million in funding led by General Catalyst

Raphe mPhibr's drones at the 2023 International Paris Airshow

Raphe mPhibr, an Indian defence-tech and aerospace startup, has raised $100 million in a funding round led by General Catalyst, marking the largest private capital raise in the country’s aerospace manufacturing sector to date.

Think Investments, Amal Parikh and other family offices also participated in the round, bringing the company’s total funding to $145 million.

This investment comes at a time when drones are being increasingly used in global warfare and military operations. The recent India-Pakistan conflict saw both militaries deploying drones at scale.

Founded almost a decade ago by siblings CEO Vivek Mishra and chairman Vikash Mishra,  the Noida-based startup designs and manufactures a range of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including 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 defence forces, with others nearing final validation, the startup said in a release.

The company’s pitch to investors has revolved around its end-to-end manufacturing approach.

In the release, the startup said it runs a vertically integrated aerospace campus that houses in-house teams across aerodynamics, materials science, thermodynamics, and other disciplines.

Neeraj Arora, MD at General Catalyst, said, " We are proud to join forces with Raphe mPhibr on their transformative journey to redefine engineering led manufacturing across a spectrum of critical applications... The products emerging from Raphe mPhibr are already making a tangible impact on the ground...".

The funding aligns with India’s broader push to expand its private aerospace ecosystem. The government has recently moved to transfer satellite launch vehicle technology to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and is courting startups through initiatives like the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) programme.