AI-powered software solves critical challenges in defense and enterprise security infrastructure, says Kulkarni
Panthera Growth Partners (PGP), a Singapore-based growth equity firm, on 5 June announced a USD30 million investment in Innefu Labs, India’s leading artificial intelligence company in the space of National Security and creating indigenous platforms & multi-modal fusion systems currently deployed across defense, intelligence, law enforcement, revenue intelligence, and large enterprise clients.
The capital injection, completed through a combination of primary and secondary transactions from Panthera’s second fund, positions New Delhi-headquartered Innefu for an IPO and accelerates its push into international markets after Innefu’s initial successful forays in Middle East.
The investment comes as India’s sovereign defense initiatives drive sharply increased domestic procurement of critical security technologies. This is evident from Innefu’s momentum in a growing pool of USD10 million + contracts spanning defense, intelligence, law enforcement, and revenue intelligence operations.
The proceeds will fund Innefu’s next phase of global market expansion, alongside deep-tech research and development anchored in its AI-first, sovereign capabilities. This includes advancing its proprietary Agentic AI platform, establishing a dedicated Physical AI (robotics) wing, and developing sovereign AI infrastructure with secure, domain-specialized language models built for high-trust environments.
Tarun Wig, Co-Founder and CEO of Innefu Labs, stated, “When we started Innefu, our vision was clear: India should never have to depend on external technologies to secure its people, its institutions, or its digital future. Over the last fifteen years, we have transformed that vision into reality, building indigenous AI-powered platforms that protect critical national assets, empower decision-makers, and strengthen the country’s security ecosystem.
“We now intend to scale our innovations faster, deepen our investments in advanced AI and further enhance our autonomous decision-support systems. We believe the next wave of technological leadership will belong to nations that own their intelligence capabilities, and Innefu is committed to ensuring that India stands at the forefront of that transformation.
“What excites us most is that we are still at the beginning of our story. The foundations have been laid, the talent is in place, and the mission has never been clearer. With this new chapter, we are not just building a company, we are helping build the technological backbone of a secure, self-reliant, and AI-powered India for generations to come.”
Shilpa Kulkarni, Founder and Managing Partner of Panthera Growth Partners, stated: “Innefu has built native, AI-powered software that solve critical challenges in national defense and enterprise security infrastructure. Our investment decision is based on their proprietary technology, deep domain expertise, and a proven track record in high-stakes, mission-critical environments. We are partnering with Innefu to support their growth ambitions as they prepare for public markets.”
Innefu’s deployments include several national scale AI intelligence fusion centres including India’s first National Terrorism Data Fusion Centre and Southeast Asia’s largest operational Intelligence Fusion Centre.
Abhishek Sharma, Co-Founder and CTO of Innefu Labs, added, “For over a decade, we’ve solved mission-critical challenges for defense, intelligence, and investigative agencies. As governments worldwide move toward AI-driven decision-making, our mission is to build trusted, AI-first indigenous platforms that strengthen national security and keep critical data & platforms sovereign. This funding accelerates our next chapter: advancing our Agentic AI capabilities, venturing into Physical AI and robotics, and expanding globally, building the full sovereign AI stack that high-trust environments demand”
Panthera’s second fund, backed by institutional investors from India, the European Union, and the United States, focuses on growth-stage companies with established product-market fit, deploying an average capital allocation of USD 20 million per company across India and Southeast Asia. The firm’s historical portfolio across its fund vehicles includes allocations in FoxTale, OfBusiness, Zivame, Travelstack Tech, EMotorad, Flipspaces etc.
Founded in 2010, Innefu is an AI driven company in the field of National and Cyber Security. The company is a fully indigenous Artificial Intelligence company committed to strengthening National and Cyber Security. With more than 100+ installations across Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and South East Asia, the company is today a de-facto leader in developing and deploying AI for National and Cyber Security. Fiinews.com
