Paar Autonomy secures Rs 10 crore to scale indigenous defence tech

Deep-tech defence startup Paar Autonomy has secured Rs 10 crore in fresh funding led by AdvantEdge Founders, providing fresh momentum to India's push for self-reliance in unmanned systems and military hardware.

The Bengaluru-based company develops camera payloads and artificial intelligence software for unmanned aerial, ground and maritime platforms. It plans to deploy the capital to scale up domestic manufacturing lines for its AI-enabled camera systems and accelerate engineering work on navigation suites that operate without satellite signals.

Indigenous tech for contested environments

Founded in June 2024 by Vignesh Sivaram Jayaraman, Paar Autonomy focuses on the perception and navigation layers that allow autonomous vehicles to function when standard communications fail. Its systems combine edge-based computing, gyro-stabilised multi-sensor gimbals and visual-inertial navigation.

These capabilities allow drones, rovers and unmanned vessels to operate in environments where Global Positioning System (GPS) or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals are actively jammed or unavailable. Real-time visual models running directly on board process situational data, allowing the hardware to track targets and map surroundings autonomously.

The firm's hardware catalogue centres on its Sentinel line, comprising five specialised sensor payloads: Sentinel 1, Sentinel 2, Sentinel Nano, Sentinel Nano Dark and Sentinel Nano Dual. While designed primarily for military tasks such as border reconnaissance and tactical movement tracking, the equipment also covers civilian missions, including critical infrastructure surveys and disaster management.

Momentum in India's defence ecosystem

Before this round, Paar Autonomy had secured Rs 3.5 crore in pre-seed funding from Venture Catalysts, which financed its initial production setup and pilot batch deliveries.

The investment reflects broader private capital flow into sovereign hardware capabilities, as domestic ventures look to replace imported assemblies with indigenous components across aerial and ground robotics.

By building high-specification sensor suites at home, startups in the segment are strengthening India's strategic manufacturing base, reducing reliance on sensitive overseas supply chains while equipping armed forces and civil agencies with locally engineered technology.