Yohan and Michelle Poonawalla of Poonawalla Group venture into defence sector with strategic investment in Optimized Solutions

India’s leading billionaire industrialists and philanthropists, Yohan and Michelle Poonawalla have announced their investment in Optimized Solutions, a technology-driven company operating across defence, aerospace, space, and critical infrastructure. The investment marks a strategic foray by the Poonawallas into India’s rapidly evolving defence and security ecosystem, with a focus on supporting home-grown technology, innovation and advanced manufacturing capabilities.

Optimized Solutions is a firm that specializes in building advanced strategic electronics for deep tech applications for both strategic and commercial organisations. According to a statement the firm has had the opportunity to extend their support to prestigious organizations like ISRO, and DRDO laboratories for some of their landmark projects. Besides this the firm has worked as a contributor towards the indigenisation of critical subsystems for the Indian Army and Air Force. The company’s capabilities are aligned with the growing demand for indigenous technologies and advanced manufacturing solutions across India’s strategic sectors.

The investment comes at a significant inflection point for India’s defence industry, which has been witnessing a sustained growth in indigenous production, private-sector participation and exports. India’s defence production reached a record Rs 1.78 lakh crore in FY 2025–26, while defence exports touched an all-time high of Rs 38,424 crore, with the private sector accounting for Rs 17,353 crore, or 45.16%, of exports.


Commenting on the investment, Yohan Poonawalla, Chairman of Poonawalla Group, said in a statement, “India’s defence sector is entering an important phase where indigenous technology, advanced engineering and private enterprise will play an increasingly significant role in building long-term capability. We see significant potential in the company’s capabilities and look forward to supporting its journey as it develops solutions that can contribute to a stronger, more self-reliant and globally competitive Indian defence ecosystem.”

The investment is in line with the Poonawalla Group’s broader approach of identifying businesses that combine innovation, engineering excellence, and long-term value creation. With India placing increasing emphasis on indigenous defence production, advanced technology and strategic self-reliance, the investment provides the Group with an opportunity to participate in a sector undergoing significant transformation.

“We are delighted to welcome renowned industrialists Yohan and Michelle Poonawalla as our investors and strategic partners. Their experience in building and scaling businesses, combined with their understanding of the Indian industry, brings a valuable perspective as we enter our next phase of growth. Their confidence in our technology and vision strengthens our ambition to build Optimized Solutions into a significant player in sovereign deeptech. As we enter this next phase, we are expanding our capabilities to build complete satellite platforms in India, marking a significant milestone in our evolution from a strategic electronics company to an integrated deep-tech and space technology organisation. We look forward to leveraging this partnership to deepen our R&D, expand our capabilities, and accelerate the development and deployment of next-generation sovereign technologies from India,” said Sandeep Shah, Founder and Managing Director, Optimized Solutions Ltd, in a statement.

For Yohan and Michelle Poonawalla, the investment extends their longstanding approach of backing businesses and initiatives with potential for industrial, economic, and wider societal impact, added the statement. Yohan Poonawalla’s business interests spans engineering, biotech, financial services, real estate, equestrian ventures, advanced mobility, green technologies and automotive heritage. The foray into defence technology marks a strategic expansion into one of India’s increasingly significant and innovation-driven sectors.