Titan Capital, one of India’s most active seed-stage venture capital firms, has announced the launch of a specialised investment vertical to fund startups innovating in India’s defence and strategic technology space.
While India has made notable strides in digital infrastructure, semiconductors, and space, defencetech remains a critical frontier where public R&D and procurement still dominate. With rising geopolitical uncertainty and rapid advances in AI, drone warfare, and satellite-based systems, Titan Capital believes private capital must now step in to catalyse the next era of indigenous military innovation.
The new vertical will focus on startups operating at the nexus of advanced hardware, aerospace, cybersecurity, and manufacturing. Beyond strengthening national security, the fund aims to catalyse deep-tech entrepreneurship, build high-value employment, and position India as a net exporter of strategic technologies.
“We are at a historic inflection point where national security, deep-tech innovation, and startup agility are converging. India cannot achieve true self-reliance in defence by relying on imports or public funding alone,” said Kunal Bahl, Co-founder of Titan Capital, AceVector, and Snapdeal.
“We need to back our brightest minds—engineers, researchers, and builders—to create sovereign, dual-use technologies that can shape not just India’s future, but the future of global defence. At Titan, we’ve always been a founder-first firm. This vertical extends that ethos into a sector that has national consequence,” Bahl added.
Partnering with veterans
As part of this initiative, Titan Capital is also looking to collaborate with veterans from the armed forces, scientists, and experienced technologists who can help assess and guide these investments with strategic insight and domain expertise.
Globally, venture capital is accelerating its focus on defencetech. U.S.-based Anduril Industries recently raised $1.5 billion for its AI-enabled combat systems, while Europe’s Helsing secured €450 million in backing from General Catalyst to develop defence AI.
Notably, the Indian government has increased the defence budget to Rs 6.81 lakh crore for FY 2025–26 and launched schemes like iDEX and the Technology Development Fund (TDF) to support homegrown solutions. The firm has backed over 250 startups to date, including Ola, Razorpay, Urban Company, OfBusiness and Giva.
