Unicorn India Ventures Commends Probus with $5 Million Investment for Innovation
Mumbai/ New Delhi, 19th Feb 2025: DeepTech Startup Probus Smart Things focused on Smart grid applications has raised $5 million in Series A1 led by Unicorn India Ventures. The round also saw participation from notable US-based and Indian family offices. The current round is a mix of equity and debt financing.
Probus has raised over $8 million in funding till date including the current round.
Funds raised will be used for scaling its current communications tech stack into multiple smart grid and renewable applications along with development of existing expertise into AI integration with its patented communications and networking stacks. The Company will also be investing in scaling its innovative dual communications network interface modules for smart metering currently being deployed across various states in India.
Probus develops integrated hardware and software solutions for utility providers and helps digitize their distribution grid and have a clear visibility of their network through Probus integrated end to end IoT platform. A powerful IOT solution for electricity distribution utilities that helps them achieve distribution grid analytics and automation which subsequently enables a much more efficient distribution of electricity along with quicker restoration of electricity after power disturbances. Probus further enables reduced operations and management costs for utilities, and ultimately lower power costs for consumers.
Commenting on the investment, Anil Joshi, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures, says, “This is our fourth round of investment in Probus as we believe that the company has emerged as a disruptor in the last mile power distribution ecosystem. With the order book standing at Rs 400 crore, it is clear that their understanding of the problem, their ability to provide a tech-backed solution that can be rolled out at scale and AI integration is now a proven approach. While the current product offerings are ahead of available solutions in the market, the team has not only kept innovating to make themselves relevant to the changing requirement but has been continuously investing in R&D to keep coming out with cost effective innovative solutions. We see Probus as one of the category winning startups from our portfolio.”
The company’s last round was in 2023 and since then Probus has built an order pipeline of INR 400 crores growing 10X in revenues while growing 3X Y-o-Y. The Company has filed for 4 patents, tripled the team size and opened a state of the art Innovation Center in Noida along with project offices in Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
Anand Singh, Co-founder CEO, Probus Smart Things, says, “At Probus, our mission is to enable the last-mile digitization of India’s electricity distribution grid, a transformation that is significantly reducing distribution losses at scale and propelling the country toward its Net Zero targets. Our cutting-edge Communications Technologies and Data Analytics lie at the heart of this transformation. Leveraging our strength in diverse communication stacks and deep expertise in network hardware, Probus has evolved into a trusted DeepTech partner for leading customers like Adani Power, Tata Power, and Torrent Power. With this funding, we will focus on scaling our communication technology stack across multiple smart grid applications while expanding our core technology teams.”
Last year, we introduced a game-changing innovation in the smart metering segment with our Dual Communications Network Interface Card. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize the smart metering industry by significantly lowering the total cost of ownership for utilities and driving greater customer adoption. Together, we are shaping a future aligned with a more sustainable economy and accelerating progress toward achieving Net Zero targets, he adds.
Probus plans to vertically integrate the dual communication technology to increase its expertise in the domain of communications. At the same time, it aims to disrupt the consumer segment of the energy market using AI and first-hand data availability through its communications technology. Its partnership with key utilities companies such as Adani, Torrent, and Tata Power will help to implement such solutions smoothly.
Probus has redesigned its current product portfolio for Substation Automation and also developed and patented a dual communication technology for smart meters providing guaranteed 100% downlink SLA, this product combines both cellular and Bluetooth technologies into one communication module which in-turn benefits end-consumers resulting in larger adoption of smart meters. With AMI (Automatic Metering Infrastructure) at its peak and RDSS -2 (Revamp Distribution Sector Scheme :- Substation Automation) kicking in, Probus plans to grow 10X in revenues in the next 12 months.
