SatLeo Labs Raises $2.2 Mn To Advance Thermal Satellite Intelligence Platform
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Spacetech startup SatLeo Labs has raised $2.2 Mn (about ₹20.5 Cr) in its seed funding round led by Unicorn India Ventures, with participation from existing investors Merak Ventures, Java Capital, IIMA-CIIE, and others.
The startup plans to utilise the fresh capital to advance its flagship thermal satellite mission and invest in the development of its AI-powered platform for thermal intelligence applications.
With the latest round, SatLeo Labs’ total funding has reached $5.5 Mn, including a $3.3 Mn pre-Series A funding led by Merak Ventures in 2025.
SatLeo Labs said it plans to strengthen its space-based thermal intelligence capabilities over the next 12 months by focusing on satellite launch readiness, commercial expansion, and scaling its technology.
Founded in 2023 by Shravan Bhati, Urmil Bakhai, and Ranendu Ghosh, SatLeo Labs builds satellites that can take both thermal and visual images of Earth, helping track climate changes, farming conditions, disasters, and defence activity in real time.
The Ahmedabad-based startup uses its proprietary technology to collect data from low Earth orbit (LEO). Its satellites can pick up heat signals from space, helping track crop health, rising temperatures, wildfire risks, weather patterns, and supporting defence surveillance.
The startup said in a statement that it has recorded strong growth over the past year across technology, team expansion, and commercial traction. Its team has grown from 8 to 30 members, including engineers and researchers specialising in satellite missions, thermal sensing, and AI-driven geospatial analytics.
SatLeo claimed that it has developed and delivered its first experimental thermal payload, TAPAS-1, within six months, achieving TRL-8 readiness and preparing it for launch, while also beginning pilot projects for urban heat and air pollution monitoring in Ahmedabad and Tumkur, impacting over 4 Lakh citizens.
It added that its commercial pipeline has grown, with letter of intents rising to over $42 Mn from around $15 Mn within a year.
SatLeo Labs competes with the likes of PierSight, GalaxEye and SatSure in the spacetech sector in India.
The funding comes at a time when spacetech funding has picked up pace in India and globally, with a clear shift toward commercial use cases such as Earth observation satellites and satellite communications, fuelled by rising demand for satellite data and analytics.
In 2025, funding in the Indian spacetech sector almost doubled to $157 Mn from $81 Mn in the previous year. As of now, India has more than 200 private spacetech companies working across satellites, launch vehicles, communications infrastructure and downstream data services, as global demand grows for cost-efficient and reliable space technologies.
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