SG's Panthera Growth Partners Puts US$10M Into AI Security Firm Innefu Labs
Source: DealStreetAsia
Singapore-based Panthera Growth Partners has invested US$10 million in Innefu Labs, an Indian AI company focused on national security and enterprise defence. The deal, made through Panthera's second fund, combines primary and secondary transactions.
Singapore-based growth equity firm Panthera Growth Partners has invested US$10 million in Innefu Labs, an Indian artificial intelligence company focused on national security and enterprise defence. The deal, made through Panthera's second fund, combines primary and secondary transactions.
Innefu Labs builds AI-powered software for national defence and enterprise security infrastructure — covering areas like biometric identification, surveillance analytics, and cybersecurity. Its co-founder Tarun Wig said the company's founding vision was that India should not depend on external technologies to secure its digital future. Panthera's Shilpa Kulkarni noted that Innefu has built native AI software solving critical challenges in defence and enterprise security.
The investment signals growing cross-border appetite from Singapore-based funds for AI security startups in the region. Panthera's portfolio also includes Indian e-grocery giant BigBasket, online furniture retailer Pepperfry, and lingerie e-tailer Zivame — showing the firm's diversified thesis across consumption and now deep tech.
Why it matters for Singapore: This deal places a Singapore fund at the centre of AI-driven national security technology in Asia. As regional governments race to build sovereign AI capabilities, Singapore's capital ecosystem is increasingly funding the underlying security infrastructure — from biometrics to surveillance analytics — that will define how AI is deployed in defence across Asia. That positions SG fund managers as key intermediaries in a fast-growing cross-border AI security market.