Bengaluru’s Xovian Aerospace Raises $2.5 Mn to Build Satellites That ‘Listen’

Bengaluru-based space tech startup, Xovian Aerospace, has raised $2.5 million in a pre-seed funding round to build the AI-native radio frequency (RF) satellite infrastructure. 

The round was led by venture capital firm Piper Serica and early-stage investor Turbostart, with participation from Inflection Point Ventures (IPV) and Eaglewings Ventures. 

IPV co-founder Ankur Mittal noted that early-stage investors are increasingly supporting deep tech and space tech, reflecting India’s ambition to strengthen domestic capabilities in the sector.

The startup said the funding will help launch its first spacecraft, expand engineering capacity, and start pilot projects with enterprise customers, besides supporting technology testing and constellation deployment.

Founded in 2019 by Ankit Bhateja and Raghav Sharma, the company is developing a radio-based satellite constellation to address the limits of optical imaging. “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,” Bhateja said in an exclusive interview with AIM.

Real-Time Intelligence Across Sectors

Unlike traditional earth observation satellites, which rely on images for change detection, Xovian’s system captures the entire radio spectrum. This enables signals intelligence, asset movement tracking, weather forecasting, and situational awareness across industries, including maritime, aviation, BFSI, defence, and climate resilience.

Bhateja explained, “We are capturing the entire radio spectrum to deliver real-time, actionable intelligence across sectors. Our vertically integrated platform means satellites that listen, AI that understands, and a dashboard that supports critical decision-making.”

Xovian will validate its payload on ISRO’s PSLV by the end of 2025 and expects to start pilot trials with five to six enterprise customers across India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East in Q2 2026. A full constellation of ten satellites is targeted by 2027.

“Legacy satellites are blind to the world’s most dynamic threats. RF is where the action is,” said Bhateja. “We’re building the nervous system for Earth: satellites that listen, AI that understands, and infrastructure that helps organisations act in real time.”

Indigenous and Sovereign Focus

The company emphasises a fully indigenous approach, designing its software-defined radio payloads and RF data processing algorithms in-house. “From a national security point of view, you need systems that you can fully rely on,” Bhateja said. “Depending on third-party ecosystems comes with diplomatic and regulatory hurdles.”