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Bengaluru-based startup Alteon has raised $2.5 Mn (about ₹24 Cr) in a pre-seed round led by Lachy Groom, with participation from Together Fund, as it works on autonomous aircraft designed to stay airborne for months without landing. The fresh capital will be used to advance its autonomous dynamic-soaring technology, scale R&D and deploy fleets of aircraft over the ocean, the startup said in a statement. The funding comes shortly after Alteon’s aircraft completed an offshore flight test, autonomously flying multiple consecutive loops less than a metre above the ocean’s surface. The test marked a key milestone in the startup’s efforts to develop ultra-long-endurance aircraft using dynamic soaring. The startup’s founder Samay Sanghvi began work on the tech driving the radio-controlled aircraft back in 2023 before incorporating the startup in 2025. He developed the prototypes without a formal engineering degree and received early backing from Emergent Ventures and 1517. The startup has since expanded its team to 20. Alteon is developing autonomous aircraft that use wind energy to stay airborne for months, similar to how albatrosses fly. Unlike conventional aircraft that need to land for refueling and maintenance, the startup aims to build aircraft capable of persistent flight without relying on traditional propulsion. One of its key engineering challenges is enabling the aircraft to perform dynamic-soaring manoeuvres autonomously close to the surface of a moving ocean. “Ultra high endurance is downstream of ultra high efficiency, precision and reliability,” said Sanghvi. “Day in, day out we put our aircraft in the air and learn from every build, every flight and every failure to get closer to building aircraft that can stay airborne for more than a year.” The startup is ultimately aiming to build aircraft capable of staying airborne for more than a year, potentially enabling continuous observation of the oceans and helping authorities monitor activities such as illegal fishing and drug trafficking. The fundraise comes as India’s UAV market continues to expand, driven by rising demand for unmanned systems across defence, surveillance, infrastructure and logistics. The market is also seeing a growing set of startups building autonomous and long-endurance aircraft. NewSpace Research & Technologies, CDSpace Robotics and Aspera Aerospace are also developing unmanned systems for defence and surveillance, while Airbound is building autonomous aircraft for logistics and recently raised $37 Mn in a Series A round. Meanwhile, eVTOLs are also expected to fill the Indian skies soon. Startups like LAT Aerospace, the E-Plane Company, Sarla Aviation, and BLUJ Aero, are furthering their bids to build electric flying taxis. The development comes as India’s UAV market gains traction across commercial and defence applications, with the market valued at $470 Mn in 2025 and projected to reach $1.39 Bn by 2030 at a 24.4% CAGR, with defence and military use cases expected to drive growth
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