Cellegant Energy Systems has raised ₹2.61 crore to develop hydrogen fuel-cell electric drivetrains for drones, according to funding reports published on November 3 and 4. Investors include GVFL Prarambh Fund Trust, CoCreate Aarambh and IIEC, IIT Gandhinagar’s incubator.
The startup, founded by IIT Gandhinagar professor Atul Bhargav, plans to use the capital for technology development, intellectual-property protection and team building. Its immediate objective is to demonstrate a 35-kg hydrogen-powered drone.
Entrepreneur India reported that Cellegant aims to advance the programme from technology readiness level three to six over six to twelve months. Those are development targets, not evidence of a commercially available aircraft or a completed deployment.
The company is working on hybrid power management and hydrogen storage as part of its efforts to extend endurance beyond conventional battery systems. Its wider research interests include autonomous and marine applications. The funding reports do not disclose a valuation, individual investor contributions or a production launch date.
Archive photograph of a quadcopter, used illustratively; not Cellegant’s hydrogen-powered demonstrator. Photo: Rebuilt FPV quadcopter by steve lodefink, CC BY 2.0. Image supplied at web resolution.
