Deeptech startup Tsalla Aerospace raises $1 million  in maiden funding round

Bengaluru-based deeptech startup Tsalla Aerospace has raised $1 million in its first external funding round. The round was led by Sunny Stalnaker, Executive Vice President at ASML, the Dutch semiconductor equipment maker.

The funding round also received support from the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and equity-free grants from the Ministry of Defence’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) programme.

The startup plans to raise $8 million in its upcoming Seed round to expand its AI autonomy stack globally and to enter new defence and industrial markets.

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“With this milestone, we move from proving what’s possible to scaling what’s inevitable. Our vision is to create a unified autonomy ecosystem where satellites, aircraft, ground vehicles, ships and underwater platforms operate seamlessly, thinking, deciding and acting together without human intervention. This funding helps us accelerate towards that future," said Vinayak Tsalla, Founder & CEO of Tsalla Aerospace.

About Tsalla Aerospace

Founded in 2019 and incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Tsalla Aerospace develops an AI-based autonomy stack for drones and unmanned systems. Its AI Pilot allows these platforms to operate without GPS or communication support, aiming for fully autonomous, zero-operator functioning.

The company works with the Indian Navy and Indian Army on several projects, including confined-space reconnaissance systems, backpack-based VTOL platforms for single-person use, and logistics solutions like ship-to-ship delivery in challenging weather conditions.

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Tsalla competes with Indian defence and autonomy firms such as ideaForge, NewSpace Research & Tech, Sagar Defence, and CRON Systems, along with global dual-use autonomy developers.

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