Bengaluru-based space tech startup Xovian Aerospace has secured $2.5 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Piper Serica and Turbostart, with additional participation from Inflection Point Ventures (IPV) and Eaglewings Ventures. The funds will support the development and launch of the company’s first spacecraft, scale its engineering capabilities, and initiate pilot projects with enterprise customers.
Founded in 2019 by Ankit Bhateja and Raghav Sharma, Xovian is pioneering a radio frequency (RF) satellite infrastructure aimed at delivering real-time, actionable intelligence. Unlike traditional satellites that rely on optical imaging, Xovian’s system captures and analyzes the entire radio spectrum, enabling it to track moving assets like ships and aircraft far more effectively.
“Images cannot track moving assets like ships or aircraft. Today, companies take four to four-and-a-half hours to reach a decision. We bring that down to under ten minutes,” said Bhateja in an interview with AIM. This time reduction could significantly enhance decision-making across industries such as maritime, aviation, banking and finance, defence, and climate resilience.
“We’re building the nervous system for Earth: satellites that listen, AI that understands, and infrastructure that helps organisations act in real time,” Bhateja added, emphasizing Xovian’s broader mission of reshaping how data from space is gathered and utilized.
The startup plans to validate its RF payload aboard ISRO’s PSLV by the end of 2025, with pilot trials slated for Q2 2026. The current funding round will also accelerate R&D and talent acquisition as Xovian positions itself at the intersection of AI and space-based sensing.
Ankur Mittal, Co-founder of IPV, noted the rising investor interest in advanced technologies: “Early-stage investors are increasingly supporting deep tech and space tech,” he said, underscoring the momentum India’s private space sector is building.
With this funding milestone, Xovian joins a growing list of Indian startups pushing the boundaries of space innovation, aiming to deliver real-time intelligence at a scale previously unattainable with conventional satellite systems.
