Dantech Digital Dental Solutions Pvt Ltd, a Chennai-based dental prosthetics manufacturing start-up, has raised ₹21 crore ($2.5 million) from investors to fuel its expansion. The funds will be used to boost domestic production, diversify product offerings and pursue acquisitions in the US to expand geographically, and offshore more operations to India.

The investment round included participation from Gunavanth Vaid, Unicornus Maximus, Shagun Capital Ventures, Wow Investments, Ten Eighty Investments, the promoter family of Tablets India, and a consortium of prominent dentists.

Founded in April 2023, Dantech operates in two locations: a manufacturing facility in Chennai, and another unit in Denver, Colorado, US. Dantech specialises in producing a wide range of dental prosthetics, including crowns, bridges, and caps for dental implants. These custom devices, often referred to as artificial teeth, are produced to meet each patient’s specific medical needs.

“We are currently using the latest funding for three main purposes. First, we are expanding our domestic production capacity. Second, we are diversifying our product line by adding new products, including dental implants, desensitising gels, bleaching trays, and aligners. Lastly, we are exploring inorganic growth opportunities, including acquiring dental labs in the US to expand geographically and begin offshoring more work to India,” Varun Gunaseelan, CEO & MD of Dantech told businessline.

Plan to jack up capacity

At present, it manufactures around 200 units a day across 400 SKUs at its Chennai facility. It is planning to ramp up the capacity to 1,000 units per day.

Additionally, the company is pursuing inorganic growth through the acquisition of dental labs in the US, which will allow them to expand geographically and increase their offshoring capabilities, said Gunaseelan, a business entrepreneur and finance professional who co-founded Dantech along with Dr Shiv Shankar Mahadevan, a dentist and prosthodontist with over 25 years of experience in the field of prosthetics manufacturing.

His family’s deep roots in dentistry gave Varun Gunaseelan first-hand insight into the industry’s challenges, with one of the key pain points being the coordination between dentists and laboratories, particularly for custom-made medical devices. “After analysing the value chain, we saw immense potential in harnessing new technology. In the past, dentists used traditional moulds to capture impressions, but now digital scanners have taken over. These scanners are faster, more accurate, and improve the quality of prosthetic manufacturing,” he explained.

He added that this digital shift eliminates the need to physically ship impressions across the globe. By producing custom prosthetics in India, Dantech offers cost-effective solutions to US customers, capitalising on the demand for dental work in ageing populations, especially in wealthier nations. “Our entry into this space was driven by this technological advancement and the growing need for dental services,” Gunaseelan said.

Dantech business primarily focuses on acquiring work from the US and UK, producing dental prosthetics in India and delivering them to dentists in those countries. About 85% of its revenue currently comes from the US, while India remains a developing market.

For the current fiscal year, Dantech aims to surpass ₹20 crore in revenue, with a run rate target of ₹5 crore per month by March next year, translating to an annual revenue of ₹60 crore.

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