Delhi Startup Builds Drones That See Without GPS

Send a drone into a tunnel, a boiler, or between tightly packed machinery, and it usually goes blind. GPS signals vanish in confined spaces, leaving most drones lost and useless exactly where they're needed most.

Enord, a Delhi startup founded in 2021, built drones that don't need satellites to see. Their INSPECTOR drones use artificial intelligence to navigate on their own, processing information onboard without needing external signals or a human pilot.

The technology matters because the places worth inspecting are often the most dangerous for people. High-voltage transmission lines, tall telecom towers, and thermal plant interiors all pose serious risks to human inspectors and require shutting down equipment for safety.

Muhammad Anas and Zain Saeed Alig started the company after recognizing this gap. Anas first encountered drones through a college robotics competition, then ran a venture training students to fly them before pivoting to solve the navigation problem.

The drones carry swappable tools for different jobs. Some inspect infrastructure, others monitor air quality by reading gases and particulate matter. The entire AI system runs on the drone itself, so it keeps working even in areas with poor connectivity.

The Ripple Effect

Enord's customer list spans utilities, infrastructure, construction, agriculture, and defense. Their drones remove two problems at once: the risk of sending people into hazardous spaces and the downtime from shutting equipment down for manual inspection.

The business model is working. With just $80,600 raised from institutional backers like IIT Mandi Catalyst and iHub, the company's annual revenue already exceeds its total funding. They've grown to a team of more than fifty people.

The startup describes itself as India's first AI-on-edge drone company. They've secured several patents and signed a research agreement with IIIT Delhi to keep advancing their navigation technology.

Rather than chasing venture capital in a tight funding market, Enord focused on building technology that's difficult to replicate and easy to scale. That practical approach is turning confined spaces into safe inspection zones across India.