Solinas Integrity Raises $5.5 Million to Scale AI-Powered Robotics for Water & Sanitation Infrastructure

Chennai-based deep-tech startup Solinas Integrity has raised $5.5 million in a Series A1 funding round co-led by Mela Ventures and Hero Enterprise Family Office, as the company looks to expand its AI-powered robotics platform for underground water and sanitation infrastructure in India and overseas.

The round also saw participation from Luthra Group, along with follow-on investments from existing backers SVL-SME Fund (managed by SBI Ventures Limited), Rainmatter Capital, and 8X Ventures Fund I.

The fresh capital will be used to expand manufacturing capacity, strengthen product development and software infrastructure, support working capital needs, and scale government and enterprise contracts. The IIT Madras-incubated startup also plans to deepen its presence in the Middle East and Southeast Asia while expanding into adjacent sectors such as oil and gas and defence.

Founded in 2018 by Divanshu Kumar and Moinak Banerjee, Solinas develops robotics and AI solutions for inspecting, cleaning, and managing underground water and wastewater infrastructure. Its portfolio includes Endobot, a robotic pipeline inspection system capable of navigating pipes as small as 90 mm; Homosep, a mechanised sewer and septic tank cleaning robot; and Swasth AI, a software platform that converts inspection data into GIS-based asset maps and predictive infrastructure intelligence.

The company says its solutions have been deployed across more than 30 cities in 15 Indian states and are also being used by Dubai Municipality.

“Solinas has come this far by proving that the technology and the model work, city after city, contract after contract, at a sizable scale,” said Divanshu Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of Solinas. He added that the company aims to build India’s largest technology company focused on underground asset management while expanding into high-stakes sectors such as defence and oil and gas.

The startup is addressing longstanding challenges in India’s water infrastructure. According to the company, the country loses an estimated 38% of treated water before it reaches consumers, with losses exceeding 60% in some cities. Globally, non-revenue water accounts for nearly $39 billion in annual losses. The company also highlighted the continued risks faced by sanitation workers despite the ban on manual scavenging, positioning mechanised inspection and cleaning as a safer alternative.

Krishnakumar Natarajan, Managing Partner at Mela Ventures, said the firm had tracked Solinas for four years and believes its vertically integrated robotics platform addresses a critical gap in underground infrastructure management. “Current methods of maintaining India's water infrastructure are manual, hazardous, time-consuming, and costly. Solinas is changing that through a robotics platform that maps underground infrastructure, diagnoses issues, and delivers end-to-end solutions,” he said.

The company said government initiatives such as AMRUT, Jal Jeevan Mission and NAMASTE schemes are accelerating demand for technology-driven inspection and sanitation systems, creating a growing market for mechanised and AI-enabled infrastructure management.

With the new funding, Solinas plans to broaden its technology portfolio across the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector while developing new products for industrial and defence applications.