Team Startupcity

·  Sanlayan Technologies raises Rs 186 crore in oversubscribed Series A round led by top investors including Ashish Kacholia and Jungle Ventures.

·  Startup developing AESA radar systems for India’s UUV program and expanding defence tech capabilities via strategic acquisitions and alliances.

·  Plans to increase engineering headcount 5x, with focus on R&D scientists, defence veterans, and leadership hires.

Bengaluru-based defence electronics firm Sanlayan Technologies raised Rs 186 crore in an oversubscribed Series A funding round to expand its efforts at developing indigenous technology. The round received participation from marquee investors such as Ashish Kacholia, Lashit Sanghvi, and Jungle Ventures, as well as returning investors Gemba Capital and Singularity Ventures, and newcomer Shastra VC.

This new funding follows Sanlayan's previous Rs 36 crore raise in March 2024 from Jungle Ventures' First Cheque@Jungle platform. Sanlayan also made a strategic acquisition recently by majority staking out Dexcel Electronics, an established ESDM firm renowned for contributing to pivotal defence and space missions such as Jaguar, Sukhoi, LCA Tejas, and Chandrayaan-3.

Sanlayan is also engaged in creating AESA radar systems for India's Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) program, availing significantly from its strong in-house R&D strength. Sanlayan has also established strong networking pools with five Indian startups and several foreign OEMs to co-develop cutting-edge defence solutions.

"Sanlayan's operational and strategic performance has been outstanding. Dexcel's revenue growth, coupled with responsible scaling and targeted capital deployment, reinforces our confidence in their ability to lead in the defence electronics space," added Rishab Malik, Partner at Jungle Ventures.

Sanlayan pursues a three-pronged strategy to develop deep capability: buying established Indian defence MSMEs, creating proprietary technologies in-house, and building global partnerships. The new funding will enable the startup to accelerate these efforts and support India's priority national security initiatives.

What really impressed us was Sanlayan's strategic vision and tactical plan to take on India's dynamic defense electronics landscape. This investment is not just financial—it's an investment in nation-building," added investor Ashish Kacholia.

In the future, Sanlayan plans to grow its engineering team five times within the next six months. The recruitment drive focuses on domain experts, R&D scientists, ex-military veterans, and experienced leaders from public as well as private defence organizations.

“India’s defence sector is on the cusp of a transformational leap,” noted Rohan Gala, Co-founder & CEO of Sanlayan. “We’re deploying capital to build and acquire key capabilities in areas like Counter-UAS and Electronic Warfare (EW) systems. Over the past six months, we’ve reinforced Dexcel’s design and manufacturing strength, and now we’re preparing for large-scale indigenisation and modernisation programs.”

With this investment, Sanlayan is establishing itself as a key contributor to India's defence technology agenda, ensuring self-reliance and development of systems of strategic importance.