India’s quest for technological sovereignty in space navigation received a boost on Tuesday as Chennai-based start-up VyomIC announced plans to build the country’s first private satellite constellation offering global positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services.
Founded by IIT-Madras alumni Lokesh Kabdal, Vibhor Jain and Anurag Patil, the venture has secured USD 1.6 million in pre-seed funding led by Speciale Invest, with BYT Capital and DeVC also participating. The financing marks the first step in their ambition to deploy a fleet of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites designed to provide secure and precise navigation.
“The funds will be used to advance the development of VyomIC’s LEO-based PNT payload, support its spaceborne demonstration mission, and scale team hiring and business development efforts,” the company said in a statement.
Jain, who earlier spearheaded India’s student-led hyperloop initiative and worked on drone swarm deployments, underscored the project’s global intent. “We are not just building an Indian alternative to GPS-we are building a next-gen global system, engineered for autonomy, security and precision,” he said.
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VyomIC’s technology aims to achieve centimetre-level positioning and nanosecond-level timing, a breakthrough that could prove critical in defence, finance, telecommunications, and autonomous mobility. The system promises resilience against spoofing and jamming—vulnerabilities that continue to plague existing global navigation systems such as GPS and GLONASS.
The use of LEO satellites, the start-up argues, will allow faster signal acquisition, stronger coverage in urban and contested environments, and even enable navigation within enclosed spaces where conventional GPS falters.
Backing the vision, Vishesh Rajaram, managing partner at Speciale Invest, said: “In a world increasingly shaped by autonomy, defence tech, and time-critical infrastructure, resilient navigation becomes non-negotiable. VyomIC’s vision of a sovereign constellation addresses this need head-on. We’re thrilled to back a team that’s executed ambitious projects and is now taking on one of the most foundational layers of modern civilisation—PNT.”
VyomIC’s longer-term roadmap includes establishing a complete constellation capable of serving global users with secure, real-time navigation and timing, bolstering both India’s strategic autonomy and the foundations of future autonomous systems.
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