Robotics startup Sharang Shakti is acquired by Deepinder Goyal's LAT Aerospace

LAT Aerospace, cofounded by Deepinder Goyal and former Zomato COO Surobhi Das, has acquired Gurugram-based defence robotics startup Sharang Shakti in its first move toward building indigenous defence capabilities.

Announcing the acquisition in a post on X, Goyal said the integration of Sharang Shakti marks the company’s initial step in developing core defence technologies, while continuing its long-term ambition of building civil aviation platforms from India. He noted that civil aviation and defence are often seen as separate sectors, but share common technology stacks across autonomy, perception, sensing, navigation, guidance and control systems.

“By bringing Sharang Shakti into LAT, we are building these capabilities in-house, from first principles, with the intent to deploy them across both defence and civil programs over time,” Goyal wrote.

In a separate post, Das described the acquisition as the first step toward building deep indigenous defence capabilities grounded in technologies that also power next-generation civil aviation.

Founded in 2023 by four IIT Delhi graduates, Sharang Shakti raised around $600,000 in seed funding in 2024. The startup is backed by AUM Ventures and Venture Highway, which merged with General Catalyst in June 2024.

Das, who left Zomato in November 2023, cofounded LAT Aerospace with Goyal in early 2025. Goyal has invested $20 million in the venture. The company is also reportedly in talks to raise an additional $50 million in seed funding.

LAT Aerospace plans to develop eight-seater, low-cost, short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft aimed at boosting regional connectivity. In November, the company shifted to a 50,000-square-foot research and development facility in Gurugram and began setting up in-house laboratories to manufacture aircraft components, including powertrains and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) systems.