Defence Services Academy

What Defence Services Academy does

Defence Services Academy (DSA) is a privately held, residential coaching institute headquartered at Shahapur, District Bhandara, Maharashtra, India (near Nagpur). Founded in 2015 and operating with a 51-100 employee footprint, DSA provides integrated preparation for India's defence officer-entry examinations — primarily the National Defence Academy (NDA) written exam, the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview, the Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam, the Merchant Navy entrance, and AFCAT/MNS — targeting students from Class 8 through graduation as well as female aspirants and repeaters. The core product architecture combines classroom academic coaching with physical training (PT, yoga, team sports), supervised study blocks, and personality development mapped to the Services Selection Board's Officer Like Qualities (OLQ) framework.

The academy delivers its programs from a single residential campus with AC classrooms, hostel facilities, and structured daily routines running from approximately 5:00 AM to 10:50 PM, alongside a day-scholar option for local students. The technical/pedagogical foundation rests on ex-defence-officer faculty and a content library of study material, mock tests, and previous-year papers; there is no disclosed software platform, mobile application, API, or AI/ML capability — the offering is a service-led, human-intensive model rather than a technology product. Marketing and distribution are run through a bilingual website, a topical blog, and organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) combined with direct on-campus enrollment following an inquiry, written test, and personal interview.

The business is funded entirely through fee-based revenue from coaching programs plus a non-refundable registration fee, with separate fee tiers for day scholars versus hostellers. DSA is privately held with no disclosed parent company, investors, subsidiaries, funding rounds, or audited financials; it operates within Maharashtra and the Vidarbha region as a single-entity, single-geography coaching operation with no public listing.

Name

Defence Services Academy

Legal name

Defence Services Academy

Website

https://defenceservicesacademy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Defence Services Academy is a private, residential coaching institute in Shahapur, Bhandara (near Nagpur), Maharashtra, providing NDA, CDS, SSB, Merchant Navy, AFCAT, and MNS exam preparation to Class 8 through graduate-level students via fee-based residential and day-scholar programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defence Exam Coaching

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAOAI

Military Preparatory Schools & Academy Prep Programs

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Military Academies & Defense Universities

Keywords

• NDA exam coaching
• Defence exam preparation
• SSB interview training
• CDS coaching
• Merchant Navy entrance prep

Headquarters

HQ city

Bhandara, Maharashtra

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. NDA Coaching Programs: Fee-based coaching programs for NDA, CDS, Merchant Navy entrance exams, and SSB interview preparation. Programs are structured with different batches for day scholars and hostellers. The academy provides residential facilities including AC classrooms, solar heated water, and laundry services included in the program.
2. Academic Education: Integrated Class 11 & 12 curriculum alongside NDA-focused preparation, allowing students to prepare for board exams while simultaneously preparing for NDA without conflicting schedules.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Defence Services Academy is a residential NDA coaching institute that prepares students for India's National Defence Academy entrance exam, SSB interview, CDS, AFCAT, MNS, and Merchant Navy entrance exams. It delivers integrated academic schooling (from Class 8 onwards) alongside NDA written exam coaching, physical training, personality development, and SSB interview preparation on a single campus in Shahapur, District Bhandara (near Nagpur), Maharashtra. Offerings are structured into distinct day-scholar and hosteller batches with on-campus AC classrooms, hostel, sports, and supervised study facilities.

Product overview

Defence Services Academy (DSA) offers a comprehensive suite of defence examination coaching programs as a unified coaching ecosystem. The core offerings include the NDA Foundation Program (integrated schooling with NDA coaching from Class 8th), NDA Written + SSB Coaching (covering complete syllabus, mock tests, and SSB interview preparation), and dedicated SSB Interview Training with personality development and GTO task practice. Additional programs include CDS Exam Coaching for graduates, Merchant Navy Entrance Exam Preparation, and AFCAT/MNS preparation. All programs combine academic coaching with physical fitness training, personality development, and mentorship under one roof at the Shahapur, Bhandara campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NDA Foundation Program Integrated residential schooling-plus-coaching program for students from Class 8 onwards that combines regular academic curriculum with early NDA exam foundation, physical training, and personality development on the Shahapur campus. Designed for parents who want their children to begin structured NDA preparation years ahead of the actual eligibility window.
• NDA Written + SSB Coaching Comprehensive NDA written exam preparation covering Mathematics, General Ability Test, and English, combined with bundled SSB interview preparation (psychological testing, GTO tasks, personal interview). Targeted at Class 11, Class 12 students, and NDA repeaters as residential or day-scholar batches.
• SSB Interview Training Standalone five-day Services Selection Board (SSB) interview preparation program covering psychological testing, Group Testing Officer (GTO) tasks practice, personal interview training, and Officer Like Qualities (OLQ) development. Available for NDA and CDS aspirants who need focused interview-stage preparation.
• CDS Exam Coaching Coaching for the UPSC Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination aimed at graduates seeking officer-level entry into the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. Structured preparation covering the CDS syllabus as a discrete program distinct from the NDA track.
• Merchant Navy Entrance Exam Preparation Preparation program for Merchant Navy entrance examinations combined with eligibility guidance, admission procedure support, and documentation assistance for students pursuing maritime careers.
• AFCAT and MNS Preparation Coaching for the Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) and Military Nursing Service (MNS) examinations, offered as part of the academy's broader defence career preparation portfolio for candidates pursuing Indian Air Force officer or military nursing roles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 179+ students selected in NDA within 5 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Resonance: Kota-headquartered multi-exam coaching brand covering JEE/NEET and adjacent government-exam/defence tests. Overlaps with DSA on residential integrated coaching for Class 11/12 aspirants and the multi-exam product portfolio logic.
• FIITJEE: Pan-India test-prep chain with strong JEE/boards offerings and adjacent defence/SSB programs. Comparable to DSA on the integrated school-plus-coaching model and on 30+ JEE Advanced qualifiers claimed by DSA from first-attempt students.
• Allen Career Institute: Large national test-prep brand primarily known for JEE/NEET but with expanding defence and government-exam verticals. Comparable to DSA on the integrated Class 11/12 + competitive exam coaching approach (DSA's Foundation Program is adjacent).

Direct peers

• Centurion Defence Academy: One of India's largest NDA/CDS coaching brands, offering written + SSB preparation across multiple branches. Most directly comparable to DSA on the NDA Written + SSB Coaching product and target student persona (Class 11/12 and repeaters).
• Target Defence Academy: Emerging NDA/CDS coaching brand with both classroom and online programs targeting Class 11/12 students and repeaters. Comparable to DSA on the multi-exam defence portfolio and on competitively-priced regional coaching.
• Major Kalshi Classes: Long-standing NDA/CDS coaching chain in India with both classroom and online offerings. Similar product breadth (NDA, CDS, SSB) and aspirant persona (Class 11/12 and repeaters) as DSA's NDA Written + SSB program.
• Warriors Defence Academy: Lucknow-based defence coaching institute focused on NDA, CDS and SSB preparation with residential programs. Directly comparable to DSA on the integrated residential NDA + SSB coaching format.
• Cavalier India: Bangalore-based defence coaching brand covering NDA, CDS, AFCAT and SSB preparation with residential and online offerings. Comparable to DSA on multi-exam defence career prep and SSB specialization.
• Defence Academy (Dehradun): One of India's oldest NDA coaching institutes, providing residential coaching for NDA, CDS, AFCAT and SSB. Highly comparable to DSA on the residential, integrated-prep model and on targeting aspirants from semi-urban India.

Emerging players

• Unacademy: Large edtech platform that has added a defence vertical covering NDA, CDS, AFCAT and SSB. Competes with DSA more on access/online delivery than on residential coaching, but threatens DSA's catchment of Maharashtra aspirants who can now study remotely.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@dsanagpur/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/dsjcbhandara
• Instagraminstagram.com/defenceservicesacademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/defence-services-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Defence Services Academy