Drone startup Kalam Labs in funding talks with Deepinder Goyal, Globaz Technologies

Boat co-founder Aman Gupta invested in the company as part of the show, as per Tracxn, a private markets data provider.

Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal is in advanced stages of investing around $1 million (about Rs 9 crore) in space tech startup Kalam Labs, people familiar with the developments told Moneycontrol, as the former Eternal CEO steps up his investments in deeptech companies.

This round follows Goyal's investments in space tech startup Pixxel, his wearable tech company Temple, LAT Aerospace and longetvity focused initiative Continue, as he looks to invest more in frontier technologies.

For Lucknow-based Kalam Labs, which is backed by Lightspeed, Y Combinator and others, the investment from Deepinder Goyal will be part of a larger $5-7 million round where other investors, like Globaz Technologies, are likely to participate, per sources.

What does Kalam Labs do?

Kalam Labs makes drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), that fly into the stratosphere, relatively higher than the range that other similar products have.

Kalam Labs, Deepinder Goyal and Globaz Technologies did not respond to Moneycontrol’s queries. Globaz Technologies is a deep tech investor. More recently, it participated in SpaceFields' $5 million round.

Who is Kalam Labs founded by?

The company, founded in 2018, is run by Harshit Awasthi, Sashakt Tripathi and Ahmad Faraaz – all of whom graduated from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani around 2022. The company started off as an edutainment platform streaming live science classes for kids but pivoted to eventually make drones that have a minimal thermal signature and operate at near-space altitude.

This makes it difficult for their drones to be detected by radar or be shot down from the sky.

The cost of making the vehicle is similar to that of manufacturing a drone, but its effectiveness is comparable to that of mini fighter jets, per the three founders who pitched their startup on Shark Tank, a reality show, a few weeks ago. Boat co-founder Aman Gupta invested in the company as part of the show.

While their products – and the company – gained popularity after their pitch was aired, there was buzz around the startup ever since its involvement in the Indian movie ‘Fighter’ starring actors Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone.

Since the last 12 months, drone tech startups have gained traction in India on the back of Operation Sindoor, as they play an increasingly crucial role in warfare and defence.

What does the Kalam Labs investment mean for Deepinder Goyal? 

While an investment of around $1 million in Kalam Labs will be among Goyal’s smallest bets in the Indian startup ecosystem, it demonstrates how the Eternal (formerly Zomato) founder and former CEO is steadily building a portfolio of long-gestation innovation-led ventures.

On January 1, Moneycontrol had exclusively reported Goyal was in talks to invest around $25-30 million (Rs 220-270 crore) of his personal wealth in Pixxel, another space tech startup, as part of a larger round.

Goyal also raised $54 million (around Rs 490 crore) for his wearable tech company, Temple, from Steadview, Vy Capital, Peak XV Partners, Info Edge and more, a development first reported by Moneycontrol on December 2, 2025.

Goyal also runs Continue, a longevity focused research arm, and LAT Aerospace, an aviation company meant for short duration flights.

Earlier this year, while announcing his decision to step down as Eternal’s CEO, Goyal said: "This transition allows Eternal to remain sharply focused, while giving me the space to explore ideas that do not fit Eternal’s risk profile.”