From Prototype to ₹1,000 Cr Orders: How Defence Startups Actually Win | Defending India | Ep 3

For Indian defence startups, building advanced technology is only half the battle. The real challenge is understanding military needs, finding the right buyers, and navigating procurement without wasting years or capital. In this episode, Lt Gen Dr Anil Kapoor, AVSM, VSM (Retired), and Smit Shah, president of the Drone Federation of India (DFI), break down the realities of selling to the Indian military. Lt Gen Dr Anil Kapoor draws on more than four decades of experience in the Indian Armed Forces to explain what separates a working prototype from a battle-ready system. Smit Shah brings the founder and policy perspective, revealing how defence startups in India must engage differently with soldiers, procurement directorates and decision-makers. In this episode, they also explore: Why more than ₹2,000 crore in iDEX grants has not translated into large procurement orders How founders should evaluate iDEX, Make-I, Make-II, emergency procurement, and fast-track procurement Real-world advice for Indian defence startups How the Drone Federation of India is driving change in defence technology How founders should finance R&D, working capital, and production separately What it takes to move from a prototype to defence manufacturing for India at scale Whether you are building in defence, applying for iDEX grants or navigating the wider Indian startup ecosystem in defence, this conversation provides the practical blueprint for turning military innovation into deployable systems and sustainable businesses. Subscribe to Elevation Capital for founder stories, startup insights, and long-form conversations from India’s company-building ecosystem. Chapters 00:00 Coming Up 01:24 Introduction to the Guests 03:14 What the Military Actually Needs 07:52 What Startups Get Wrong 13:24 iDEX, Make-II and Emergency Procurement 19:49 From Prototype to Field-Deployable 21:37 Finding Your Capability Gap 23:05 How the Winners Did It 27:48 The Honest GTM Sequence 32:30 Financing a Defence Startup 34:23 Merit vs Network 35:53 India's Defence Decade 39:41 Closing Remarks