A System Under Unprecedented Strain

A single delayed engine can ground a $100 million+ aircraft for months, costing airlines as much as $200,000 per day in lost revenue.

This stark reality captures the aerospace industry's most pressing crisis. With commercial aircraft backlogs reaching a record of nearly 15,700 units, the global aerospace supply chain has become a critical bottleneck threatening the entire aviation ecosystem. Airlines are expanding fleets as air traffic demand rose 10.4% year-over-year in 2024, surpassing 2019 (pre-Covid high) levels by 3.8%, yet manufacturers cannot keep pace.

The numbers tell a sobering story: Boeing and Airbus, which together control the commercial aircraft market, are seeing delivery timelines stretch from the traditional 5-6 years to an unprecedented 10-12 years. In recent years, especially post pandemic, supply-chain shortages have dominated aerospace earnings calls. The crisis isn't just about volume. It's about the fundamental inability of the current supply chain architecture to scale. When any layer falters, the entire system grinds to a halt.

Today, the vast majority of aerospace manufacturing remains concentrated in the US and Europe, high-cost markets grappling with capacity constraints, chronic reliability issues, and an aging workforce.

Behind every delayed aircraft lies a complex web of suppliers. Today, the vast majority of aerospace manufacturing remains concentrated in the US and Europe - high-cost markets grappling with severe capacity constraints, chronic reliability issues, and an aging workforce where skilled manufacturing labor is retiring faster than replacements can be trained.

Enter Jeh Aerospace

It is in this backdrop of systemic bottlenecks that Jeh Aerospace has emerged with a radically different approach that combines software-defined manufacturing with deep domain expertise to solve the industry's most pressing challenge: reliable, scalable production of high-precision components.

Rather than following the traditional playbook of setting up another machine shop, Jeh has built a digitally native production system that slashes new product introduction timelines from the industry standard of 15 weeks to just 15 days.

Founded by Vishal Sanghavi and Venkatesh Mudragalla (Venky), two veterans who spent their careers building and running Tata Group's aerospace joint ventures with Boeing and Sikorsky, Jeh aims to become the manufacturing backbone for US-based Tier 1 and 2 suppliers who desperately need reliable, scalable production capacity.

The company's 60,000-square-foot facility in Hyderabad combines precision CNC machinery with proprietary software systems and IoT sensors. Every component is tracked digitally from raw material to delivery, with zero paper trail.

A common question that we get asked: Why can't India's massive automotive component manufacturers simply pivot to aerospace? They have the machines, the scale, the cost structure.

The answer lies in DNA. Aerospace requires a fundamentally different mindset from automotive manufacturing.

Where automotive might accept defects measured in parts per million, aerospace demands zero defects. Where automotive focuses on high-volume efficiency, aerospace requires absolute precision on lower volumes with perfect traceability.

This DNA can't be acquired. It must be built into the organization from day one. Vishal and Venky understand this difference and have lived it.

The India Advantage

While the tailwinds for India’s manufacturing opportunity are multidimensional, among the most important is the country’s vast pool of highly skilled engineers who are fluent in English. In aerospace manufacturing, technical specifications, quality protocols, and safety documentation require precise communication with US and European customers. This makes India the natural default choice for Western aerospace companies looking to scale production outside their home markets.

Additionally, the exodus from China—driven by security and geopolitical concerns—has created a "China plus one" tailwind that particularly benefits India. We're witnessing a once-in-a-generation reorganization of global aerospace supply chains, with major OEMs and suppliers racing to diversify away from traditional manufacturing hubs.

Crucially, India now has both the will and the capital to seize this moment, from government incentives to dedicated aerospace parks and a wave of private capital eager to support world-class production facilities.

Earning The Right To Build

New aerospace suppliers face 18-24 month qualification cycles and customer-specific approvals from the likes of aircraft and engine manufacturers. In an industry that operates on relationships built over decades, most new startups never get past the gates to secure their first critical customers.

Jeh's founders brought credibility earned from building two of India's most successful aerospace joint ventures. This pedigree opened doors that typically remain closed to new entrants. Within months of starting operations, Jeh had secured multi-year contracts with top suppliers who serve Boeing, Airbus, and other aerospace giants.

Exceptional Execution At Scale

The proof is in the performance. Since closing their seed round just 18 months ago, Jeh has:

• Delivered over 100,000 flight-critical components
• Built a team of 100+ engineers and technicians
• Secured $100 million in long-term contracts

But perhaps most impressive is how Jeh has systematically addressed the industry's pain points. Their Center for Skills, an in-house training program, ensures a pipeline of skilled technicians to address the talent shortage that plagues the industry globally. Their Center for Resilience, a rapid prototyping facility, can take a customer from design to first article inspection in days rather than months.

Why We're Investing

At Elevation Capital, we look for companies solving large, systemic problems with differentiated approaches and exceptional execution. Jeh Aerospace exemplifies all three.

As global supply chains restructure away from China and toward friend-shoring destinations, as India's domestic aviation market explodes with almost 2,000 aircraft on order, and as the aerospace industry desperately seeks solutions to its production crisis, Jeh is building the manufacturing platform that will anchor India's aerospace ambitions.

They're laying the foundation for India to become a global aerospace manufacturing hub, much as the country transformed into a technology services powerhouse a generation ago.

We're thrilled to partner with Vishal, Venky, and the entire Jeh team by leading their $11M Series A round as they redefine what's possible in aerospace manufacturing. This is just the beginning of India's aerospace story, and Jeh is writing its first chapter.

The companies that will win are those that can deliver on the industry's most basic - and most elusive - promise: the right part, at the right quality, at the right time. Jeh is doing just that.

(If you're a founder building in advanced manufacturing, we'd love to hear from you.)