Mangaluru’s Zupple Labs get DRDO mandate to develop blockchain evaluation

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The project aims to contribute to the standardisation and evaluation of blockchain technologies required for defence applications

By AJ Vinayak

Updated - November 10, 2026 at 09:58 PM. | Mangaluru, November 10

Nidhi Bansal, Outstanding Scientist and Director of TDF at DRDO, hands over the project mandate for the development of ‘Security Analysis and Auditing of Blockchain’ to Neil Kevin Martis (3rd from left), CEO and Co-Founder of Zupple Labs.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Technology Development Fund (TDF) programme has awarded a project for the development of ‘Security Analysis and Auditing of Blockchain’ to Mangaluru-based Zupple Labs Pvt Ltd (a start-up with expertise in digital credentials and enterprise grade blockchain solutions), with DRDO’s Scientific Analysis Group as the nodal laboratory.

The project aims to contribute to the standardisation and evaluation of blockchain technologies required for defence applications.

Neil Kevin Martis, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Zupple Labs, told businessline that defence sector could start adopting blockchain for various use cases in the next few years. However, there is no standard framework to evaluate the applications being developed or deployed in defence sector.

Giving an example, he said defence forces would require a highly-secure blockchain-based application to track all the supply-chain items across the country, as conventional digital systems might not meet their requirements.

Various Indian government agencies cannot operate on public blockchains. They could use private blockchain, which is customisable kind of an internal system, he said. Even if the defence forces want to implement such a system, it has to undergo a series of standard tests before it is commissioned.

Mentioning that such a standard is missing in the blockchain space now, he said this project aims to develop a standardised platform through which defence-grade blockchain application can be graded.

Zupple Labs specialises in building blockchain-powered trust infrastructure for governments and institutions across four countries. Its solutions secure and authenticate critical citizen records, including land records, educational credentials, identities, permits and work orders.

Congratulating Zupple Labs on securing a project under DRDO’s TDF programme, Capt Brijesh Chowta, Member of Parliament from Dakshina Kannada, said: “Glad to see Zupple Labs, one of the 10 start-ups in this year’s ‘Bolpu’ cohort, making strides in strengthening the security and resilience of blockchain technology and contributing to India’s growing cybersecurity capabilities.”

‘Bolpu’ is a one-year accelerator programme specially designed to empower start-ups and early-stage ventures based in Mangaluru. It offers a complete support ecosystem funding, mentorship, market access, and ongoing advisory to help entrepreneurs build, launch, and scale. ‘Bolpu’ means light or day in Tulu language.

Published on November 10, 2026

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