Abu Dhabi-Based Planys Raises US$12 Million To Fuel Its Global Expansion

Planys Technologies, an Abu Dhabi-based industrial inspection startup, has raised US$12 million in primary funding as it advances its global expansion plans, with the Middle East playing an increasingly central role in its strategy.

The round was led by angel investor Ashish Kacholia, alongside investor and entrepreneur Lashit Sanghvi, with participation from existing backers including India-based investment firms Pratithi Investment, Samarthya Investment Advisors, 3i Partners, LetsVenture, and several angel investors. 

In an interview with Inc. Arabia, Planys co-founder and CEO Tanuj Jhunjhunwala traced the company’s origins back to a research-driven ambition to address a persistent industrial risk. Established in 2015 in Chennai, India, by Jhunjhunwala alongside Vineet Upadhyay, Prabhu Rajagopal, and Krishnan Balasubramaniam, Planys emerged from advanced research in underwater robotics and applied industrial inspection at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. The founding team set out to address a long-standing industrial challenge by developing ways to inspect critical underwater infrastructure without putting human divers at risk and without relying solely on basic visual inspection methods. 

At the heart of Planys’ growth is a shift away from traditional inspection models that rely heavily on human intervention. “Our core mission is to enable safer, smarter, and more resilient infrastructure by replacing diver-led inspections with robotic, advanced testing and data-driven intelligence," Jhunjhunwala told Inc. Arabia. "Through autonomous underwater vehicles, advanced sensors, and AI-based analytics, we help asset owners move from manual, compliance-driven inspections to predictive, lifecycle-based asset management, aligned with long-term operational excellence and sustainability goals.”  

Today, Planys operates at the intersection of underwater robotics and advanced industrial inspection, offering in-service inspection solutions designed to improve operational safety, reduce shutdown durations, and manage asset lifecycle costs across complex industrial environments. These include ports, refineries, petrochemical complexes, desalination plants, and power infrastructure. The company deploys hybrid remotely operated vehicles, robotic crawlers, and an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered three-dimensional inspection twin capable of functioning in low-visibility and high-turbidity conditions.

Planys' work also spans underwater concrete testing and non-destructive testing across jetties, berths, quay walls, intake and outfall systems, and submerged process structures. Alongside these capabilities, Planys is developing TankRover, an internationally certified explosion-proof remotely operated vehicle designed for in-service inspection of hydrocarbon storage tanks commonly used across the region’s process industries.

This operational focus has translated into steady adoption across multiple markets. Planys has logged more than 25,000 hours of deployment across over 500 sites in more than 10 countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman. Its clients include energy, petrochemical, and port operators such as US-based ExxonMobil, UK-based Shell, and Saudi-based Aramco and SABIC. Having set up a base at Abu Dhabi's tech ecosystem Hub71, the company is now continuing to expand across the GCC, supported by strategic partnerships such as its collaboration with Qatar-based testing, inspection, and certification company Applus Velosi.

With its base in Abu Dhabi, the company's reach today includes regions with dense concentrations of critical infrastructure beyond the GCC as well. “Today, Planys is a Hub71 startup with a growing presence across Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia,” Jhunjhunwala said. “The UAE has emerged as a key strategic market due to its concentration of energy, port, and utilities (power and desalination).” According to Jhunjhunwala, the UAE and the wider Middle East has been seeing a decisive shift from traditional inspection practices to technology-first asset inspection that is safer, advanced, and requires no shutdown of operations.

 Planys co-founder and CEO Tanuj Jhunjhunwala.

For Planys, this means that asset owners are increasingly unwilling to choose between safety and continuity of operations. “Asset owners are no longer satisfied with periodic, manual inspections that require shutdowns or expose personnel to risk," Jhunjhunwala noted. "Instead, there is a strong push toward in-service inspections, higher inspection frequency, and continuous visibility of asset health, all while maintaining uptime. This shift is being accelerated by large-scale, long-life infrastructure investments, strong national focus on safety, sustainability, and resilience, and clear alignment with the region's industrial digitization and innovation agendas." 

Taken together, these changes have reshaped how inspection itself is understood. “From our perspective, the question has evolved from ‘How do we inspect?’ to ‘How do we future-proof our assets?’” Jhunjhunwala explained. “Robotics-led inspection is increasingly seen not as experimentation, but as best practice. Planys' solution performs advanced testing solutions using ultrasonic and electromagnetic techniques for concrete and steel testing, something that is rare in the traditional sectors (except the offshore oil and gas sector).” 

Looking ahead, Jhunjhunwala sees the next stage of competition in the industry being defined by how effectively inspection insights inform operational decisions. “The next competitive edge will be defined by intelligence and integration fused with robotics,” he predicted. “In markets like the UAE, where assets are mission-critical and downtime is extremely costly, inspection solutions must deliver actionable insights on actual structure, not just visual data. The biggest gap today lies between inspection outputs and decision-making needs.” 

Addressing that gap, Jhunjhunwala noted, will require capabilities that extend beyond conventional approaches. “We believe the future will be shaped by advanced structure integrity for concrete and steel testing beyond visual inspection, autonomous, repeatable inspections without operational disruption, AI-driven defect detection and trend analysis, and digital twins that evolve with the asset and support long-term planning,” Jhunjhunwala said. 

For asset owners in the Middle East, Jhunjhunwala suggested that the value of these capabilities will be closely tied to long-term operational resilience. “The real value lies in understanding how an asset is ageing, where risk is accumulating, and what actions matter most to avoid unscheduled shutdowns or in worst-case catastrophic failures,” he said. “Solutions that bridge this gap will define the next phase of competitiveness.” 

That same emphasis on practical impact has shaped how Planys' backers viewed its growth story, with Jhunjhunwala saying, “Investor confidence in Planys came from demonstrated execution in real and challenging industrial environments, including strong user testimonials and repeat contracts.” Indeed, by the time the round came together, Jhunjhunwala said that the company had already demonstrated deployments across multiple markets, built repeat demand among asset-heavy industries, validated its technology in complex underwater environments, charted a clear transition from services to scalable offerings, and accumulated more than 30 patents. 

Beyond Planys itself, investor discussions also revealed a broader shift in how industrial robotics is being viewed globally. “Our discussions with global investors highlighted a strong conviction that industrial robotics and inspection technologies are becoming foundational to infrastructure-led economies," Jhunjhunwala said. "In regions like the Middle East, where assets are strategic and built for centuries, there is growing recognition that robotic inspection is essential for safety, cost control, and long-term resilience. Beyond funding, our investors share a long-term view aligned with how the Middle East thinks about infrastructure: build once, operate intelligently, and sustain for generations.” 

When asked about the lessons he learnt through his entrepreneurial trajectory, Jhunjhunwala emphasized the importance of taking the long view when building deeptech ventures. “One key insight from our journey is that real traction in deeptech comes from deep patience," he said. "Building credibility in industrial sectors takes time, trust, and relentless execution, but once earned, it compounds powerfully. One assumption I would strongly challenge early is the belief that innovation must come at the expense of reliability. In asset-heavy industries, especially in the Middle East, innovation is only valuable if it integrates seamlessly into existing operations. Founders who succeed here are those who balance cutting-edge technology with a deep respect for operational discipline, risk management, and long-term partnerships."

Pictured in the lead image is the Planys team. All images courtesy Planys.