Nabhdrishti Aerospace raises ₹3 crore in pre seed round

Deep tech startup, Nabhdrishti Aerospace raised ₹3 crore in a funding round led by IIMA Ventures (formerly IIMA-CIIE). The current influx of capital will aid the development of a fuel flex combustor prototype via thorough testing on the fuel injector and combustor.

• Also read:GE Aerospace to invest over ₹240 crore at its Pune facility

The startup was founded in 2023 by Rohit Chouhan and Arjun Srivatsa to design and develop Micro Gas Turbines indigenously. As per the company, their initial focus is on creating a 350 SHP turbo-prop engine for aviation and power generation use cases. The micro gas turbine (MGT) engines will be indigenously developed and manufactured and will feature fuel flexibility to enable clean fuel compatibility and enhanced efficiency thereby furthering the sustainability cause for the country.

“We are committed to pioneering a Common Core Architecture that facilitates seamless scalability across various propulsion types and power requirements. This infusion of capital empowers us to accelerate our first product development. Our next steps involve recruiting top-tier talent, investing in advanced tools and testing infrastructure and demonstrating our combustion technology.” expressed Rohit Chouhan, Co-Founder & CEO.

As per industry reports, it is projected that over the next 20 years, India will require 9000+ MGTs for unmanned air vehicles, cruise missiles, small trainer aircraft and helicopters, based on an industrial simulation – estimating the micro gas turbine market to reach $30 billion, the company notes.

As stated by the company, their products will cater to decentralised power generation, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), hybrid electric urban air mobility, small planes and helicopter applications. The products will be fuel flexible, capable of burning sustainable fuels, including green hydrogen. The first product, ND 350, will be a 275 KW Turbogenerator, which coupled with a propeller can generate 350 SHP that can power UAVs and hybrid electric VTOLs.

Vipul Patel, Partner – Seed Investing at IIMA Ventures shared, “Building something as complex as a micro gas turbine in a market which is multi billion dollars requires a deep understanding of a multitude of factors such as gestation period, cost efficient testing infra, intellectual team building skills, customer nuances etc. Arjun and Rohit, equipped with their prior experiences, are attempting to solve for a massive market and developing a technology that will serve as a critical backbone to the country.

(Inputs from BL intern Vidushi Nautiyal)