Software firm Zoho has invested in Tamil Nadu-based drone technology startup Yali Aerospace, cofounder and chief executive officer Sridhar Vembu said.
"We are happy to announce our investment in Yali Aerospace, a drone startup based in Tanjavur led by the husband and wife team of Dinesh Baluraj and Anugraha. They returned from the Netherlands to their hometown of Tanjavur to start this," Vembu wrote on the X platform, formerly Twitter, on May 28. He didn't share investment details.
Founded in 2022 by Dinesh Baluraj and Anugraha Ganesan, Yali drones offer easy-to-use technology for civil and military purposes.
"We build the future of aviation by using our cutting-edge technology and our BVLOS experience. We make our drones in India and are passionate about creating many employment opportunities for qualified engineers and scientists," the startup's website says.
Vembu said Yali has built a fixed-wing drone with vertical take-off and landing.
"Yali's drones solve the problem of delivering medicines and organs to remote hospitals, up to a range of 150 km, with a payload of up to 7 kg, max speed of 155 km/hr," he said.
Spreading the wings
Vembu's announcement comes at a time when Zoho has been investing in artificial intelligence and data centres, areas beyond its core business.
On May 16, news agency Reuters said Zoho was planning a foray into chip-making and seeking incentives from the government. One of the sources pegged the investment plan at $700 million.
In March, Zoho announced investing close to Rs 1,100 crore (SAR 500 million) for Saudi Arabia's digital infrastructure development and strategic partnerships with local government entities contributing to the Saudi Vision 2030.
Zoho is also investing and betting big on manufacturing hardware devices like tech-enabled medical equipment, data centre-focused hardware devices and augmented reality (AR) equipment.
The Yali investment comes at a time when India is witnessing increased investor interest in this drone space.
Moneycontrol was the first to write on May 23 that Google parent Alphabet will start manufacturing drones through its subsidiary Wing LLC in Tamil Nadu.
Wing LLC offers a drone delivery service to businesses in the US, Europe, and Australia through a fleet of lightweight, autonomous delivery drones.
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