Zoho's Sridhar Vembu invests in Tamil Nadu-based drone startup Yali Aerospace
Summary
Software firm Zoho has invested in Tamil Nadu-based drone technology startup Yali Aerospace, cofounder and chief executive officer Sridhar Vembu said. "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. He didnt share investment details.Founded in 2022 by Dinesh Baluraj and Anugraha Ganesan, Yali drones offer easy-to-use technology for civil and military purposes. "Yalis 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," he said.Vembus announcement comes at a time when Zoho has been investing in artificial intelligence and data centres, areas beyond its core business.On May 16, news agency Reuters said Zoho was planning a foray into chip-making and seeking incentives from the government. One of the sources pegged the investment plan at $700 million.In March, Zoho announced investing close to Rs 1,100 crore (SAR 500 million) for Saudi Arabias digital infrastructure development and strategic partnerships with local government entities contributing to the Saudi Vision 2030.Zoho is also investing and betting big on manufacturing hardware devices like tech-enabled medical equipment, data centre-focused hardware devices and augmented reality (AR) equipment.The Yali investment comes at a time when India is witnessing increased investor interest in this drone space.Moneycontrol was the first to write on May 23 that Google parent Alphabet will start manufacturing drones through its subsidiary Wing LLC in Tamil Nadu.Wing LLC offers a drone delivery service to businesses in the US, Europe, and Australia through a fleet of lightweight, autonomous delivery drones.