Raphe mPhibr is an Indian deep-tech drone startup that was co-founded by siblings Vikash and Vivek Mishra in 2017. The Cambridge-based company has closed on a $100 million Series B funding round, led by General Catalyst. Originally founded to manufacture components for printers, the Noida-based firm has emerged as a dominant force in the military drone space. It’s profiting handsomely from the surging international demand for such unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This additional funding increases Raphe mPhibr’s combined equity funding to $145 million. This funding will allow the company to significantly scale its operations and improve its technology.
Since its inception, Raphe mPhibr has been on a meteoric upswing. It grew from an early 2,000-square-foot R&D lab to a massive, cutting-edge, 650,000-square-foot campus. This unique expansion further emphasizes the company’s longstanding commitment to being first to innovate with drone technologies. The startup now has a varied lineup of nine different drones on offer. These new drones can carry payloads up to 4.4 pounds and as heavy as 441 pounds. With ranges of 12 to 124 miles, these drones are being used for everything from healthcare delivery to public safety operations to broadcasting live sports.
The pandemic-driven increase in demand for military UAVs has led Raphe mPhibr to significantly expand its employee base. The company currently has about 600 people on staff, including 150 focused on research and more than 250 on production. This calculated use of talent underlines the firm’s commitment to and focus on research and manufacturing capabilities.
Asst. Secretary for Economic Development Vivek Mishra shared their own early struggles as the company built out their facility and engaged in R&D. He stated, “The biggest challenge was setting up the facility and doing research.” He further elaborated on the difficulties encountered in India, noting that “doing research in India is slightly more expensive compared to the U.S., just because the infrastructure is quite well set up there.”
Raphe mPhibr also uniquely stands out in that it is the only drone manufacturer that does not source any parts from China. This decision fits perfectly with the company’s overall pledge toward quality and independence in its supply chain. In addition, Raphe mPhibr has established tactical alliances with major European corporations. With Germany’s Hensoldt and France’s Safran, they are developing advanced sensors. They work with one of their closest allies, France’s Dassault Systèmes to fulfill all of their software simulation requirements.
The company has enjoyed spectacular commercial success, selling more than 300 of their drones in just the past year. That gunmaker-funded achievement has resulted in a dramatic revenue increase of up to four times their reported revenue in the last four years. The Mishra siblings have unsurprisingly taken an inventive approach, using their success in the specialty market to spur innovation. Vivek Mishra noted, “In the process, we understood that since the need is new and the area is niche, we focused on both research and manufacturing because we didn’t want to be constrained by what already existed.”
Raphe mPhibr’s commitment to creating indigenous technology runs deep, as seen in its opposition to technology transfer. “From day one, we have been against the transfer of technology,” Vivek Mishra emphasized, highlighting the company’s focus on building its own capabilities.
With the demand for military UAVs increasing rapidly across the globe, Raphe mPhibr will be poised to take advantage of this burgeoning trend. The nascent startup has received millions in funding to help fuel its ambitious growth. With a comprehensive framework for UAV research and development already established, it seeks to position itself as a front-runner in the UAV space.
