New Delhi, Oct. 27 -- Green hydrogen maker HYDGEN, restaurant operator Daryaganj Hospitality, AI infrastructure startup FinalLayer, defence electronics firm Sanlayan Technologies, and nutrition brand Neulife have secured capital in separate early-stage funding rounds, the companies said Monday.

HYDGEN

HYDGEN has raised $5 million (Rs 44.1 crore) in a mix of equity and debt funding led by Transition VC, with participation from Cloudberry Pioneer Investments, Moringa Ventures, and strategic family offices from India and Singapore.

The company, which makes green hydrogen at an industrial-scale, said the capital will accelerate efforts to make ultra-pure, cost-efficient hydrogen available directly at the point of use through its proprietary Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) electrolyzer technology.

The funds will also support the upgradation of its production facility in Mangaluru to a semi-automated manufacturing line, enhance its single-stack capacity to 250 kW, and expand its footprint in Japan, Europe, and the Middle East.

HYDGEN, founded by Manipaddy Krishna Kumar, Michael Gryseels, and Goutam Dalapati, is developing AEM electrolyzers for decentralized, on-demand green hydrogen production. Set up as a spin-off from the National University of Singapore, the company operates across multiple countries with manufacturing based in India. Its proprietary stack designs-ranging from 1 kW to 100 kW and scalable up to 250 kW-deliver high-purity hydrogen in a low-CAPEX, modular system for on-site industrial use.

Daryaganj Hospitality

Daryaganj Hospitality Pvt Ltd has raised an undisclosed amount from Anicut Capital, marking its first institutional funding round to support consolidation of its operations in Delhi-NCR.

The capital raised will also support internal processes, strengthen hiring, and drive operational excellence across the organization, the restaurant operator said.

The company says it clocks Rs 100 crore of revenue annually, of which 26% comes from deliveries. Daryaganj operates 15 outlets in India and abroad. It opened its first international location in Bangkok in May 2025.

FinalLayer

FinalLayer, an AI infrastructure startup focused on video content, has secured an undisclosed amount from Japanese deeptech-focused venture capital firm Beyond Next Ventures.

The round also saw participation from Fjor Capital, and strategic angel investors, including Tyler Willis, Julian Weisser, Hiten Shah, and other tech executives. This marks Beyond Next Ventures' second investment from its maiden fund, the Beyond Next Ventures India 1 Investment Partnership, which backs early-stage Indian ventures.

FinalLayer was founded by Vidya Narayanan and Lakshminath Dondeti and is developing AI agents that simplify and enhance the video creation process, from discovery to editing and storytelling. The company operates across the US and India, with teams in California and Hyderabad.

Sanlayan Technologies

Defence electronics firm Sanlayan Technologies has expanded its footprint in the defence power electronics space with the acquisition of Versabyte Data Systems.

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Versabyte will continue to operate as an independent unit under the Sanlayan umbrella.

Sanlayan, which previously acquired embedded systems company Dexcel Electronics, said the latest takeover will strengthen its capability to offer end-to-end electronics solutions across the defence value chain.

Founded in 1987 by PS Reddy, Versabyte is an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of power electronics, serving large clients such as HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd), BEL (Bharat Electronics Ltd), BDL (Bharat Dynamics Ltd), DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), the Indian Armed Forces and key private defence OEMs. It offers solutions across land, air, naval, radar, and missile systems.

Bengaluru-headquartered Sanlayan Technologies specializes in the design and development of advanced electronic systems, including radar, electronic warfare, and mission-critical avionics.

Neulife

Nutrition brand Neulife has raised $1 million in its maiden funding round led by Subhkam Ventures and Singularity Ventures.

The Mumbai-based company said that Sunicon Ventures, Cosma Ventures, and select high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) also participated in the seed round.

The capital will be directed towards product innovation, enhancing research and clinical trials, expansion of its protein products' portfolio, and global growth and expansion.

Neulife was founded in 2014 by Samit Gupta. It is a protein-focused performance nutrition company which offers nutritional supplements and superfoods.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from VC Circle.