Defence electronics start-up, Sanlayan raises ₹186 crore in Series A led by marquee investors Ashish Kacholia, Lashit Sanghvi and Jungle Ventures, with participation from existing investors Gemba Capital, Singularity Ventures, and new investor Shastra VC.
Previously, Sanlayan raised ₹36 crore in March 2024 in a transaction led by Singapore-headquartered Jungle Ventures.
Founded in 2023 by former Zetwerk executives Abhijit Kothawale, Rohan Gala, and Rahul Vamsidhar, Sanlayan Technologies is an electronics start-up specialising in advanced electronics systems for the aerospace, defence and space sectors.
The start-up designs and manufactures electronic systems for avionics, naval systems, radar systems and space applications. It also provides electronics for satellite communication, space exploration, and space situational awareness.
With fresh access to capital, the start-up is positioned to double down on this approach and contribute towards programs of national strategic importance.
Sanlayan plans to increase its engineering headcount fivefold in the next six months. The start-up is actively hiring domain experts, R&D scientists, retired armed forces veterans, and senior leadership from both public sector undertakings and private defence giants.
“India’s defence sector is at a once-in-a-generation inflection point. We will continue to acquire capabilities both organically and inorganically. 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,” said Rohan Gala, Co-founder & CEO of Sanlayan.
The company has acquired a majority stake in Dexcel Electronics, an ESDM firm with a 25-year legacy, that has contributed to marquee programs including Jaguar, Sukhoi, LCA Tejas and Chandrayaan-3. Sanlayan is also developing AESA Radar for India’s unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) program, with its in-house R&D capabilities. They have formed partnerships with five Indian start-ups and foreign OEMs for joint development of cutting-edge solutions.