Chennai based Zoho's co-founder Vembu invests in drone startup Yali Aerospace
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Zoho, a software company, has made an investment in Yali Aerospace, a drone technology startup based in Tamil Nadu, as stated by Sridhar Vembu, the co-founder and CEO.
Vembu was very enthusiastic about their investment and he wrote on X,"We are happy to announce our investment in Yali Aerospace, a drone startup based in Tanjavur led by the husband and wife team of Dinesh Baluraj and Anugraha. They returned from the Netherlands to their hometown of Tanjavur to start this."
The company was established in 2022 by Dinesh, Anugraha and Mathuravani, Yali's drones offer easy-to-use technology for civil and military purposes.
On their official website, the company told,"We build the future of aviation by using our cutting-edge technology and our BVLOS experience. We make our drones in India and are passionate about creating many employment opportunities for qualified engineers and scientists."
Vembu said Yali has built a fixed-wing drone with vertical take-off and landing.
He mentioned,"Yali's drones solve the problem of delivering medicines and organs to remote hospitals, up to a range of 150 km, with a payload of up to 7 kg, max speed of 155 km/hr."
Vembu's declaration arrives during a period when Zoho has been allocating resources towards artificial intelligence and data centers, domains that extend beyond its primary operations.
According to a report by Reuters on May 16, Zoho expressed its intention to venture into chip-making and requested incentives from the government. The investment plan was estimated to be around $700 million, as stated by one of the sources.
Earlier in March, Zoho had announced its investment of approximately 
1,100 crore (SAR 500 million) towards the development of Saudi Arabia's digital infrastructure. Additionally, the company aimed to establish strategic partnerships with local government entities, contributing to the realization of the Saudi Vision 2030.
1,100 crore (SAR 500 million) towards the development of Saudi Arabia's digital infrastructure. Additionally, the company aimed to establish strategic partnerships with local government entities, contributing to the realization of the Saudi Vision 2030.
Zoho is making significant investments and placing substantial bets on the production of hardware devices, such as technologically advanced medical equipment, hardware devices focused on data centers, and equipment for augmented reality (AR).
The spacetech startup's investment arrives during a period when India is experiencing a surge in investor interest in the drone industry.
Alphabet's subsidiary, Wing LLC, will commence the production of drones in Tamil Nadu, India. Wing LLC operates a drone delivery service that caters to businesses in the United States, Europe, and Australia, utilizing a fleet of self-governing, lightweight delivery drones.
