Bengaluru Deeptech Startup Secures $2.3M to Build Indigenous Defense-Ready Infrared Chips

Bengaluru-based deeptech hardware venture Nova Spectral AI has secured ₹21.2 crore (approximately $2.3 million) in a seed funding round led by Shastra VC, according to verified transaction details reported by Inc42. The round saw participation from the Equirus InnovateX Fund along with select strategic angel investors, positioning the domestic startup to scale its specialized semiconductor design pipeline.

The capital infusion is earmarked to accelerate the development of an indigenous short-wave infrared (SWIR) image sensor chip. By relying on colloidal quantum dots (cQDs) paired with standard silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) manufacturing lines, the startup plans to deliver a commercially field-ready prototype within an 18-month deployment window.

Infrared vision systems deployed across defense equipment, surveillance arrays, autonomous vehicles, and industrial robotics traditionally depend on imported indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) image sensors. InGaAs hardware is notorious for high manufacturing expenses, export controls, and supply chain friction, which limits broad deployment across cost-sensitive commercial and strategic installations.

Nova Spectral AI aims to bypass those restrictions by depositing colloidal quantum dots onto silicon readout circuits. This architecture enables optical sensors to penetrate adverse atmospheric conditions—such as night darkness, thick smoke, atmospheric haze, and industrial dust—at a significantly lower cost structure. Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer Anish Priyadarshi emphasized that domestic defense infrastructure requires sovereign imaging alternatives, stating that Indian defense units should not have to depend on offshore vendors for low-light or obscured visibility operations.

Founded earlier this year by Priyadarshi, an IIT Kanpur alumnus, alongside Sanjeev Kumar, the startup builds upon proprietary quantum dot synthesis expertise. Priyadarshi previously developed a quantum dot fabrication facility from the ground up, engineering functional indium arsenide SWIR sensors. To support its next phase of engineering validation, the enterprise secured in-principle incubation clearance at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru.

The funding closure coincides with heightened investor and governmental focus on India’s sovereign semiconductor ecosystem. Initiatives under central electronics manufacturing policies and defense indigenization frameworks continue to incentivize domestic chip architecture over pure-software services.

With incubation slated at IISc Bengaluru, Nova Spectral AI will direct proceeds toward hiring specialized material scientists, microelectronics engineers, and test personnel to support fabrication runs and validation trials over the coming quarters.