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India’s dependence on imported aerospace technologies has long hindered its ability to innovate and deploy advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at scale. Conventional drones fly only for a short duration, while satellites offer broad coverage but give images with lower resolution compared to drones. To address these challenges, Dr Parithi Govindaraju, an aerospace engineer, founded in 2019. Okulo’s goal is to provide aerial data whenever needed, be it for monitoring, security, or environmental intelligence, without the downtime or cost barriers that exist today. The Bengaluru-based deeptech startup is building solar-powered, long-endurance UAVs that can stay airborne for days or even months. These drones address a key challenge across sectors such as defence, border surveillance, solar, and mining: the lack of continuous, high-quality aerial data. After studying aerospace engineering at NIT Trichy and Purdue University, Govindaraju worked with NASA, US Air Force, and Raytheon Technologies. In 2019, he left his job to start Okulo Aerospace, aiming to build India’s own advanced aerospace systems. Solution overview With 28 employees, Okulo Aerospace designs and manufactures solar-electric UAVs that can remain airborne for days or even months, harvesting solar energy during the day and storing it for night flight. These drones combine a custom-built airframe with a proprietary software dashboard, offering clients real-time monitoring, surveillance, and analytics. The startup positions its systems as pseudo-satellites—unmanned aircraft capable of performing functions like satellites but at a fraction of the cost. Okulo is among a clutch of companies worldwide developing this class of solar-powered endurance drones. Its UAVs are entirely designed in-house, with key components such as motors and structures engineered locally. Govindaraju says the startup recently became the first in India to receive certification by the DGCA Directorate General of Civil Aviation) for its UAV category, a milestone in an industry known for stringent regulatory barriers. Business model The team at Okulo spent nearly four years in R&D, navigating complex certification and testing processes before commercialising the first product early this year. The company offers B2B services for enterprise clients, wherein it manages drone operations and delivers insights through a digital dashboard. It also does B2G sales for defence clients, where entire UAV units are sold directly. In enterprise deployments, such as solar parks and industrial sites, the company charges Rs 600 per kilometre, compared to the industry average of Rs 900, delivering both cost savings and richer digital data, says the founder. Each defence-grade UAV unit costs between Rs 2 crore and Rs 4 crore, depending on the configuration. Okulo has clocked revenues of Rs 70 lakh within six months of launch. It has received Rs 16 crore in venture capital and Rs 2.25 crore in grants from Idea Spring Capital, Java Capital, and others. The startup’s early enterprise clients include Tata Power, while pilots and proof-of-concepts have been conducted with JSW, Mahindra Susten, and HPCL. On the government side, the startup works with the Indian Army’s Infantry Division through the iDEX programme, developing border-surveillance UAVs for high-altitude regions such as Leh and Ladakh. Competition and market landscape In India’s growing UAV market, Okulo faces competition from established players such as IdeaForge, NewSpace Research, Asteria Aerospace, and Indrone Aviation. However, Govindaraju believes the firm’s solar-electric endurance technology gives it an edge. “We’re not competing on flight duration in hours; we’re competing in weeks and months,” he says. According to a report by Custom Market Insights, the Indian UAV market was estimated at $1.78 billion in 2024. It is expected to grow to about $4 billion by 2033. The startup aims to capture 25% of India’s enterprise UAV market by 2027, with recurring revenue contracts ensuring stability. Expansion and future plans Okulo plans to achieve $10 million (Rs 85 crore) in revenue over the next two years, split between defence (Rs 34 crore) and enterprise segment (Rs 51 crore). While its focus is the domestic market for now, Okulo intends to expand to the Middle East and the United States after 2027. Meanwhile, Okulo’s next major innovation, the high-altitude pseudo-satellite is under development. It is designed to fly continuously for up to four months. Scheduled for launch in early 2027, it promises to redefine aerial intelligence gathering for both defence and commercial use. Okulo Aerospace is part of YourStory’s Tech30 cohort—a selection of India’s most promising startups of 2025—unveiled at TechSparks Bengaluru.
