MS Dhoni bats for Chennai drone company Garuda Aerospace

Former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni has invested an undisclosed sum in Chennai-based Garuda Aerospace, India's leading drone-as-a-service (DaaS) provider.

Dhoni will also be the face and brand ambassador of the company. The investment is part of a bridge round, ahead of a $30-million Series A round, which the company is currently in the process of closing by end-July at a valuation of $250 million, confirmed founder Agnishwar Jayaprakash.

"Dhoni has decided to join us as an investor and brand ambassador," Jayaprakash told ET. "He has seen what we are trying to achieve, and he completely believes in our vision. We couldn't have asked for a better ambassador and partner."


While he refused to disclose the quantum of investment, Jayaprakash added that Dhoni and a few other investors have come on board in a pre-Series A bridge round.

"We are closing our $30-million Series A round by the end of July, which will value our company at $250 million. This is the largest ever Series A round for any drone company. Since our prime minister inaugurated Drone Mahotsav, we have been receiving a lot of interest," he said.

Started in 2015, Garuda Aerospace has made significant inroads into the drone startup ecosystem.

The company provides low-cost drone-based solutions and has designed drones for 38 diverse applications, including sanitisation, agriculture spraying, mapping, industries, security, delivery and surveillance.

Last year, Elon Musk recognised the company's operational expertise on Twitter.

This led to a $1-million term sheet with a global fund for the Surya drone that could potentially clean solar panels at Singapore's new floating solar farms.

Garuda has also forayed into the defence sector by bagging a significant order for 33 anti-drone systems for the ministry of defence.

Garuda drones were also extensively used during Covid for sanitisation and delivery of medicines in cities like Varanasi, Raipur, Chennai and Hyderabad.

In Uttar Pradesh, under Svamitva, a survey of land was done to map 1,000 villages. This was done to make digital records of ownership, which are being made available online.