Coratia Technologies, an Odisha-based deeptech startup that builds underwater robots, has raised Rs 18 crore in a bridge round led by MGF Kavachh, the venture capital fund floated by former Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar.
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The latest funding marks a follow-on investment by MGF Kavachh, which had previously backed Coratia’s Rs 17 crore pre-Series A round in 2025 alongside Pontaq Ventures.
The startup subsequently secured Rs 5 crore in a separate round led by Piper Serica and also received Rs 1 crore through T-Hub’s SIDBI iDEX Fund.
Coratia said the fresh capital will go towards executing its Rs 66 crore contract with the Indian Navy under the iDEX initiative, speeding up research and development on new products, strengthening its underwater robotics capabilities, and scaling manufacturing and deployment for defence and critical infrastructure applications.
The bridge round is slightly larger than the pre-Series A, and together the two rounds amount to about Rs 35 crore. The new money is equal to roughly 27% of the value of the Navy contract.
“Indian waters present unique challenges, including high turbidity, silt, low visibility and changing currents. Our focus is on miniaturising technology while advancing our systems’ intelligence, capability and deployability across defence, infrastructure and industrial applications,” said Debendra Pradhan, co-founder and CEO of Coratia.
Raj Sethia, founder and managing partner of MGF Kavachh, said Coratia’s engineering and research capabilities can serve defence, critical infrastructure and the wider maritime economy. Vandana Swarup, Director of Investments at MGF Kavachh, said the follow-on investment would help the company advance its development plans and expand deployments.
The Navy contract
The Indian Navy signed the Rs 66 crore contract with Coratia in September 2025 under the Ministry of Defence’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme. Coratia had won an iDEX challenge in January 2023, which supported the development of its systems.
Under the contract, Coratia is to supply three platforms: the Jalasimha and Jaladuta underwater remotely operated vehicles (UWROVs) and the Navya autonomous surface vehicle. The systems are built for sonar mapping, seabed surveys, ship hull cleaning, minor salvage work and inspection of submerged infrastructure, with AI-based processing of data in real time.
The deal was described at the time as the first large-scale induction of indigenously built underwater robots into active naval service.
Jalasimha, Coratia’s flagship product, has reached Technology Readiness Level 9 (TRL-9), the highest level on the scale, which indicates a system proven in operational conditions.
“Induction of indigenous UWROVs not only reduces costs and reliance on foreign suppliers but also combats trade restrictions and tariff uncertainties,” Biswajit Swain, co-founder and CTO, said after the contract was signed.
What Coratia does
Coratia builds two kinds of machines: remotely operated vehicles, which a pilot controls from the surface through a tether, and autonomous underwater vehicles, which navigate on their own. Both carry cameras, sonar and positioning systems so they can work in murky water where visibility is poor and satellite navigation does not reach.
The company adds AI-based inspection on top, including non-destructive testing that assesses a structure’s condition without damaging it. It runs jobs end to end, from putting a vehicle in the water to handing over the analysed data and a report.
Beyond defence, its technology is used for dams and reservoirs, ports, bridges, pipelines, offshore assets, ship infrastructure and subsea communication networks.
Its clients and partners include the Indian Navy, Indian Oil, Indian Railways, Tata Steel, Hindalco Industries, Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited, Jindal Steel and Power and NIT Rourkela.
Pradhan and Swain are mechanical engineering graduates of the 2017 batch at NIT Rourkela, where they joined a research team building underwater robots. The team won a Ministry of Earth Sciences challenge to build a robot that could navigate underwater on its own and hit a target.
After a few years in corporate jobs in India and abroad, the two returned to start Coratia full-time in 2021. The company pitched on Shark Tank India before landing the Navy contract, and employs around 32 people, according to reports. It still works out of the NIT Rourkela incubation centre where it began.
