Sanlayan Technologies Secures INR 186 Crore in Series A to Drive Defence Innovation Sanlayan aims to grow its engineering team fivefold over the next six months by recruiting R&D scientists, domain experts, retired military personnel, and senior executives from both private and public sector defence institutions

Sanlayan Technologies, a Bengaluru-based aerospace and defence startup, has raised INR 186 crore in a heavily oversubscribed Series A funding round. The latest investment, led by prominent investors Ashish Kacholia, Lashit Sanghvi, and Jungle Ventures, saw participation from existing backers Gemba Capital and Singularity Ventures, alongside new entrant Shastra VC. The funding marks a significant leap for the company as it sharpens focus on indigenous defence capabilities.

The latest round follows a INR 36 crore raise in March 2024, also led by Jungle Ventures through its First Cheque@Jungle platform. Shortly after, Sanlayan acquired a majority stake in Dexcel Electronics, an electronics system design and manufacturing (ESDM) firm with a 25-year track record in key Indian defence programs including the Sukhoi, Jaguar, LCA Tejas, and Chandrayaan-3 missions.

Rishab Malik, partner at Jungle Ventures, noted the combined impact of capital infusion and operational focus. "The revenue ramp-up at Dexcel, combined with strategic capital and Sanlayan's operating discipline, reinforces our confidence in their ability to scale sustainably across the defence electronics value chain," he said.

Sanlayan's approach to building capabilities across India's defence electronics ecosystem relies on a three-fold strategy: acquiring mature defence MSMEs, building in-house research and development, and forming global partnerships. The startup is currently developing an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar for India's unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) program, leveraging its internal R&D while collaborating with five domestic startups and international OEMs for advanced joint development.

"What drew us to Sanlayan was their clear understanding of India's defence electronics landscape, and their hybrid strategy to solve it," said investor Ashish Kacholia. "This is not just a business opportunity; it's a national imperative."

The company plans to rapidly scale its operations with a major hiring drive. Sanlayan aims to grow its engineering team fivefold over the next six months by recruiting R&D scientists, domain experts, retired military personnel, and senior executives from both private and public sector defence institutions.

"India's defence sector is at a once-in-a-generation inflection point," said Rohan Gala, co-founder and CEO of Sanlayan. "We are allocating capital for suo-moto development of critical technologies for CUAS and EW systems. In the last six months, we have strengthened Dexcel's design and manufacturing capabilities and are now gearing up to execute large-scale indigenisation and upgrade programs."