Arctus Aerospace
Category: Robotics / Embodied AI
Arctus Aerospace designs and manufactures high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for defense and geospatial intelligence applications Arctus Aerospace was founded in 2023. The company is led by Shreepoorna S Rao. Based in Bengaluru, India. Team size: N/A. Total funding raised: $2.6 million. Latest round: Pre-seed. Key investors include ["Version One Ventures","South Park Commons","gradCapital","Balaji Srinivasan","Srinivas Narayan"].
- Founded
- 2023
- Headquarters
- Bengaluru, India
- Team size
- N/A
- Total funding
- $2.6 million
Value proposition
Affordable, real-time, high-resolution Earth observation through cost-effective UAVs compared to satellite solutions
Products and solutions
["Drachen 5K UAV (prototype)","High-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UAVs","Unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) for defense"]
Unique value
Focus on high-altitude (45,000 ft) UAVs with 24-hour endurance and AI-powered Earth observation capabilities
Target customer
Defense organizations, geospatial intelligence firms, agriculture, and Earth observation sectors
Industries served
["Defense & Aerospace","Geospatial Intelligence","Agriculture","Environmental Monitoring","Infrastructure Planning"]
Technology advantage
Proprietary UAV design enables extended flight times and payload capacity (up to 250 kg) at lower operational costs compared to satellites
How they differentiate
Focus on high-altitude, long-endurance UAVs for defense and geospatial intelligence with proprietary Drachen 5K prototype technology, offering strategic-grade sensing at $100/hour compared to expensive satellite alternatives
Main competitors
["Ehang","Wisk","Aurora","Pixxel","Dhruva Space","Digantara","KaleidEO"]
Key partnerships
["Version One Ventures (funding)","South Park Commons (funding & incubation)","gradCapital (investment)","Emergent Ventures (UAV development grant)"]
Notable customers
["N/A (Private company)"]
Major milestones
["Development of Drachen 5K UAV prototype at IIT Madras","Secured $2.6M pre-seed funding in November 2025","Achieved Emergent Ventures grant for UAV development","Established as Founder Fellow at South Park Commons"]
Growth metrics
N/A (Private company)
Market positioning
Niche player in defense-focused unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturing with specialized capabilities in high-altitude operations
Geographic focus
Primarily India (Bengaluru-based) with potential for global defense and geospatial intelligence market expansion
Patents and IP
No publicly disclosed patents at this stage
About Shreepoorna S Rao
B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT Madras (2020-2024), Founder & CEO of Arctus Aerospace (2023-present), Founder Fellow at South Park Commons (2025-present), Developed Drachen 5K UAV prototype at IIT Madras, Former crypto DeFi startup founder, Recipient of Emergent Ventures grant for UAV development
Official website: https://arctus.space