The Indian Startup community has undergone a new trend over the last few years. Innovation that was lost in a sea of repetitiveness is now coming back to the Indian environment. After making a mark in sectors such as eCommerce, fintech, and AI, etc., the Indian Startup community is expected to take the security market by storm with its creative out-of-the-box concepts. It is important to remember that until a few years ago, the Indian defence industry was an elite club of large-cap firms, but thanks to India’s Startup Boom, several small startups have joined the defence sector in the last decade.
Here is the list of India's top defence based tech startups:
1.CRON SYSTEMS(New Delhi)
Founded by Tommy Katzenellenbogen,Tushar Chhabra, Saurav Agarwala.
Created with a mission to force boundaries with IoT, CRON Systems is a revolutionary start-up inside the multi-billion dollar border protection area that is building state-of-the-art intrusion detection systems. The deep-tech business focuses on implementing state-of-the-art border defence technologies. The organisation has also worked with the Border Defense Force and the Indian Army to mount its goods to protect international boundaries as well as the perimeter of important facilities such as military camps, airports, etc. Some of the solutions have also been tailored to commercial markets.
2.IDEAFORGE(Navi Mumbai)
Founded by Ankit Mehta, Rahul Singh, Ashish Bhat
The Navi Mumbai startup is the brainchild of three IITians. It provides services only to the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and the paramilitary and intelligence forces. They include the National Security Guard, the Indo-Tibetan Border Patrol, the National Disaster Relief Force, and the Delhi Police. It is a man-carrying unmanned aerial vehicle that can be deployed from a small clearing by the roadside and made to operate over the field of interest up to a height of 400 meters. It is capable of transmitting constant real-time images of any movement on the ground of humans, cars, or another movement without anybody noticing that they are being seen. Ideaforge’s clients include the Gujarat Police, CRPF, BSF, Maharashtra Police, and NDRF.
3.AXIOSTAT(Bengaluru)
Founded by Leo Mavely, Ashish Pandya
A Medtech company focused on Specialized Wound Care devices, the start-up is the manufacturer of the first haemostatic emergency dressing in India called Axiostat. Founded by Bengaluru-based startup Axio Biosolutions, the Haemostat, Axiostat, is helping Indian Army troops, as well as others around the world, tend to their wounded peers and resolve a significant cause of preventable death: blood loss due to trauma. Emergency care providers such as ambulances, military forces such as the Indian Army and various emergency and emergency centres in hospitals are also using life-saving innovation. While it is not the first hemostat in the world, it is the first wound-dressing product from India to obtain the US Food & Drug Administration’s node for US sales, and by far the cheapest in the country. In India, the cost of Axiostat is between Rs 29 (for dental use) and Rs 2,250 (for military use), while the cost of imported hemostats is between Rs 12,000 and Rs 20,000 for both categories. ⠀
4.VIZEXPERTS(New Delhi)
Founded by Praveen Bhaniramka
As a technology start-up in the area of visual computing, VizExperts is designing dynamic turnkey technologies that optimise decision-making data for diverse organisations. In 2014, the Army introduced automated sand model technology for real-time tactical planning, allowing quicker and more critical decision-making. Digital Sand Model is effectively a groundbreaking solution for field preparation, mission briefing, and instruction for Indian paramilitaries, the police, and the armed forces.
5.AADYAH AEROSPACE(Bengaluru)
Founded by Shaju Stephen, V Sunderarajan, Pradeep Kumar, Samu Joseph, Amarnath Reddy, Varun Kurup
AADYAH was founded with the aim of becoming India’s leading provider of aeronautics, space and defence engineering, and technology solutions while retaining a sense of originality that speaks volumes. The startup also maintains a center of excellence in architecture, engineering, integration, and testing to develop mission-critical aerospace and defence systems.
6.OPTIMIZED ELECTROTECH(Ahemdabad)
Founded by Anil Yekkala, Dharin Shah, Kuldeep Saxen, Purvi Shah and Sandeep Shah
Optimized Electrotech Ahmedabad-based Optimized Electrotech is an electro-optical startup that offers defence and surveillance solutions. The start-up provides an electro-optics technology that can be used for tracking smart cities, satellite imagery, border protection, medical imaging, access control, machine vision, automotive (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, i.e. ADAS), and consumer electronics. Its mission is to become a world leader in delivering security solutions to national and foreign military and aerospace organisations. The business plans to become a force in National Security, Defense Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance & Machine Vision.

India will finance at least 250 defence start-ups over the next five years as it finds emerging innovations that give the armed forces a leading edge. At least Rs 500 crore will be awarded to the Ministry of Defense for its Technologies for Defense Excellence (iDEX) programme which will aim to pull together innovators from the public and private sectors and the armed forces to identify innovative technological solutions. The goal is to offer at least 50 ‘tangible technologies’ to start-ups that can be implemented in the coming years.