Sanlayan Technologies Raises ₹186 Crore in Series A to Scale Indigenous Defence Tech
- ByStartupStory | June 9, 2025
Defence electronics startup Sanlayan Technologies has raised ₹186 crore in its Series A funding round to accelerate its mission of advancing indigenous aerospace and defence technologies. The oversubscribed round was led by prominent investors including Ashish Kacholia, Lashit Sanghvi, and Jungle Ventures, with participation from existing backers Gemba Capital, Singularity Ventures, and new investor Shastra VC.
Founded in September 2023 by Abhijit Kothawale, Rohan Gala, and Rahul Vamsidhar, Sanlayan has emerged as a fast-growing player in India’s aerospace and defence ecosystem. The Bengaluru-headquartered startup is focused on developing advanced electronic systems such as radar, electronic warfare (EW) systems, and mission-critical avionics.
This fresh infusion of capital follows Sanlayan’s earlier ₹36 crore raise in March 2024, led by Singapore-based Jungle Ventures through its FirstCheque@Jungle platform. As part of that round, the company acquired a majority stake in Dexcel Electronics, a Bengaluru-based ESDM firm with a 25-year legacy and contributions to major Indian defence programs including Jaguar, Sukhoi, LCA Tejas, and Chandrayaan-3.
Sanlayan is currently developing an AESA Radar system for India’s Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) program and has forged partnerships with five Indian startups and foreign OEMs to jointly develop next-generation defence solutions.
“Sanlayan’s ability to execute at both operational and strategic levels has been outstanding. 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,” said Rishab Malik, Partner at Jungle Ventures.
The company operates on a three-pronged strategy: acquiring and scaling established Indian defence MSMEs, building proprietary in-house technologies, and forming strategic global partnerships. With this approach, Sanlayan aims to contribute meaningfully to programs of national strategic importance.
“What drew us to Sanlayan was their clear understanding of India’s defence electronics landscape and their hybrid strategy to solve it. This is not just a business opportunity; it’s a national imperative,” said investor Ashish Kacholia. “We’re proud to back a team accelerating indigenous capability and contributing to India’s national security.”
Sanlayan plans to expand its engineering workforce fivefold over the next six months, with hiring focused on domain experts, R&D scientists, retired armed forces veterans, and leadership from both PSUs and private defence majors.
“India’s defence sector is at a once-in-a-generation inflection point,” said Rohan Gala, Co-founder & CEO of Sanlayan. “We will continue to acquire capabilities both organically and inorganically. Capital is being allocated for the suo moto development of critical technologies for counter-UAS and electronic warfare systems. Over the past six months, we have significantly strengthened Dexcel’s design and manufacturing capabilities and are now preparing for large-scale indigenisation and upgrade programs.”
Backed by founders with experience from L&T, Tata Advanced, Mahindra, Zetwerk, ITC, and Ola, Sanlayan blends startup agility with deep sector expertise. The company is positioning itself as a key enabler of India’s defence self-reliance ambitions.
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