Quick Take
- Kochi startup EyeROV showed its Trout underwater drone at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and five other heads of state visited the EyeROV pavilion.
- EyeROV holds a Rs 47 crore Indian Navy order and is planning a $10 Mn Series A round.
A Kochi-built underwater robot took centre stage at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. EyeROV showed its Trout drone to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and five other world leaders.
The display was part of the Bharat Innovates Exposition. The Ministry of Education ran the exhibition alongside the summit. EyeROV is the brand of IROV Technologies Pvt. Ltd., based in Kochi, Kerala.
Six heads of state visited the EyeROV pavilion. They were Prime Minister Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian, Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa also stopped by.
What this means for you: A one-year-old deep-tech firm just got its product in front of six governments at once. For defence founders, that is a sales channel most VCs cannot open.
What is the Trout underwater drone?
Trout is EyeROV’s indigenous, military-grade underwater drone. The company built it for defence needs. It was the main technology on show at the exposition.
EyeROV makes several classes of marine robot. Its range covers Remotely Operated Vehicles, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and Unmanned Surface Vehicles. The systems also run AI-driven data analytics for inspection reports.
One EyeROV system can inspect a tunnel up to 10 km long. That long-tunnel capability puts it among a small group of global players. The robots use sonar imaging, ultrasonic testing and AI-based defect detection.
Who are the founders of EyeROV?
EyeROV was founded by Johns T. Mathai and Kannappa Palaniappan P. Both are IIT alumni. Mathai is the chief executive. Palaniappan is the chief technology officer.
“It is an absolute honour to showcase our indigenous marine robotics technology to Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and global leaders at the BRICS Summit,” Mathai said.
He said the moment reflected the potential of Indian deep-tech startups on the world stage. EyeROV wants to become a global leader in marine robotics through indigenous engineering.
How big is EyeROV’s business?
EyeROV holds a Rs 47 crore order from the Indian Navy. That order was a big step for the young firm. It has run more than 150 projects for over 80 clients.
Its client list runs across power, energy and defence. Tata Power, NHPC, Adani, ONGC, BPCL and Maersk have all used its robots. So have the Indian Navy, DRDO and the Indian Coast Guard.
In February 2026, EyeROV raised Rs 13 crore in a pre-Series A round. AWE Funds and Unicorn India Ventures co-invested. The company is now planning a $10 Mn Series A round, and it puts the Indian market at $800 Mn.
StartupFeed Insight
The photo op is worth more than it looks. EyeROV sells mostly to government and defence buyers, and those buyers move on trust and visibility. Standing in front of six heads of state, one of them your biggest customer’s boss, is procurement marketing money cannot buy. The Rs 47 crore Navy order already proved the tech works at scale. The next test is the $10 Mn Series A. Expect EyeROV to close that round before mid-2027, and to lean on New Delhi footage every step of the way. Watch whether export talk turns into a real overseas order.
— Avinash Mishra, Business Correspondent
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