<p>Bengaluru: 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 of ASML, the Dutch chipmaker.</p><p>The funding is also supported by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and equity-free grants from the Ministry of Defence’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) programme.</p><p>Tsalla Aerospace is developing next-generation autonomous systems for defence and industrial applications. Founded in 2019 and incubated at IISc, the startup is building a hardware-agnostic AI Pilot that enables drones and unmanned platforms to operate independently even in GPS or communication-denied environments, with zero operator cognitive load. Tsalla works closely with Indian defence forces on mission-critical projects across reconnaissance, logistics, and high-risk operational scenarios.</p>.HAL signs pact with West-sanctioned Russian aerospace firm to build civil aircrafts.<p>“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</p><p>Vinayak Tsalla, Founder & CEO of Tsalla Aerospace.</p><p>The startup is also planning to raise $8 million in its upcoming Seed round to expand its AI autonomy stack globally and enter new defence and industrial markets.</p><p>It currently works with the Indian Navy and Indian Army on key defence projects, including confined-space reconnaissance systems for intelligence gathering in high-risk zones; rapid-deployment, backpack-based VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) platforms operable by a single user; and offshore and high-altitude logistics solutions, such as ship-to-ship delivery in harsh weather conditions.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: 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 of ASML, the Dutch chipmaker.</p><p>The funding is also supported by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and equity-free grants from the Ministry of Defence’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) programme.</p><p>Tsalla Aerospace is developing next-generation autonomous systems for defence and industrial applications. Founded in 2019 and incubated at IISc, the startup is building a hardware-agnostic AI Pilot that enables drones and unmanned platforms to operate independently even in GPS or communication-denied environments, with zero operator cognitive load. Tsalla works closely with Indian defence forces on mission-critical projects across reconnaissance, logistics, and high-risk operational scenarios.</p>.HAL signs pact with West-sanctioned Russian aerospace firm to build civil aircrafts.<p>“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</p><p>Vinayak Tsalla, Founder & CEO of Tsalla Aerospace.</p><p>The startup is also planning to raise $8 million in its upcoming Seed round to expand its AI autonomy stack globally and enter new defence and industrial markets.</p><p>It currently works with the Indian Navy and Indian Army on key defence projects, including confined-space reconnaissance systems for intelligence gathering in high-risk zones; rapid-deployment, backpack-based VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) platforms operable by a single user; and offshore and high-altitude logistics solutions, such as ship-to-ship delivery in harsh weather conditions.</p>
