Mumbai, Jan 28 (IANS) India’s defence tech ecosystem recorded $247 million in funding in 2025, its highest annual inflow till date despite a lower number of deals, a report said on Wednesday.
The report from data intelligence platform Tracxn said total all‑time equity funding for the sector stood at $711 million across 232 rounds, and that annual funding rose from $5 million in 2016 to a peak of $247 million in 2025, the report said.
The report further said that the surge was driven largely by a $100 million mega round and featured dominance of non-combat systems and capital concentration among a small set of companies.
Despite a lower number of rounds in 2025 of 30 rounds, total funding nearly doubled year-over-year, due to a $100 million mega round.
“While seed-stage activity remains broad, late-stage funding continues to be limited, reinforcing the ecosystem’s progression toward execution-focused and platform-led defence capabilities,” it said.
Funding remains heavily front‑loaded by stage as seed‑stage companies raised about $118 million across 174 rounds, early‑stage firms absorbed $527 million across 56 rounds, and late‑stage funding totalled $66 million across five rounds.
Capital distribution across the defence tech value chain shows a strong skew toward infrastructure-oriented segments, it said. Non‑Combat Systems attracted $551 million, Combat Weapon Systems drew $106 million, Defence Support and Enablement Systems received $27 million and Training and Simulation Solutions attracted $27 million, the report said.
Bengaluru emerged as the most funded city receiving $216 million across 61 rounds, followed by Noida with $168 million across 19 rounds and Chennai with $88 million across 26 rounds, the report said.
India’s defence technology ecosystem transited from fragmented innovation toward an execution-driven capability infrastructure. Defence technology in India moved beyond individual platforms and is defined by integrated systems spanning AI, autonomy, ISR, secure communications, and manufacturing depth, the data intelligence platform said.
Policy reforms, rising defence budgets, and geopolitical imperatives are positioning defence technology as national infrastructure, linking military readiness, industrial capacity, and long-term economic value, it noted.
–IANS
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