• Startup Pulse
    altM raises $10.3 million in a Series A round led by Rainmatter by Zerodha and Mela Ventures, with Omnivore, Theia Ventures, Aureolis Ventures, Spectrum Impact and strategic angel investors participating. Venomics AI raises $2.7 million in a pre-seed round co-led by Speciale Invest and South Park Commons, with Operators Studio participating. EloElo Group raises $80 million in a Series C round led by Hornbill Capital and NBCUniversal, with MIT Investment Co. and existing investors participating. Peppermint Robotics raises ₹100 crore (approximately $10.5 million) in a Pre-Series B round led by pi Ventures and Crane Venture Partners, with Asiana Fund participating. Traversal raises $120 million in a Series B round at a $1 billion valuation, led by Kleiner Perkins, Redpoint and Khosla Ventures, with Sequoia Capital, Battery Ventures and Amex Ventures participating. GIVA raises over $100 million in a round led by Multiples Alternate Asset Management. The Croffle Guys raises ₹14 crore in a round led by V3 Ventures, with N.A.N Partners participating. Solgram raises over $1 million in a pre-seed round led by DSG Consumer Partners and Saama Capital, with Kapil Chopra participating. Sachin Tendulkar makes a strategic investment in Metasports Interactive, the company behind Hitwicket. The amount was not disclosed. Hyeglo Beauty raises ₹7 crore in a round led by Sauce, with Giga Capital, Consumer Collective, Reckitt's Arjun Purkayastha and The Patient Capital participating. altM raises $10.3 million in a Series A round led by Rainmatter by Zerodha and Mela Ventures, with Omnivore, Theia Ventures, Aureolis Ventures, Spectrum Impact and strategic angel investors participating. Venomics AI raises $2.7 million in a pre-seed round co-led by Speciale Invest and South Park Commons, with Operators Studio participating. EloElo Group raises $80 million in a Series C round led by Hornbill Capital and NBCUniversal, with MIT Investment Co. and existing investors participating. Peppermint Robotics raises ₹100 crore (approximately $10.5 million) in a Pre-Series B round led by pi Ventures and Crane Venture Partners, with Asiana Fund participating. Traversal raises $120 million in a Series B round at a $1 billion valuation, led by Kleiner Perkins, Redpoint and Khosla Ventures, with Sequoia Capital, Battery Ventures and Amex Ventures participating. GIVA raises over $100 million in a round led by Multiples Alternate Asset Management. The Croffle Guys raises ₹14 crore in a round led by V3 Ventures, with N.A.N Partners participating. Solgram raises over $1 million in a pre-seed round led by DSG Consumer Partners and Saama Capital, with Kapil Chopra participating. Sachin Tendulkar makes a strategic investment in Metasports Interactive, the company behind Hitwicket. The amount was not disclosed. Hyeglo Beauty raises ₹7 crore in a round led by Sauce, with Giga Capital, Consumer Collective, Reckitt's Arjun Purkayastha and The Patient Capital participating.
  • Dhruva Space to Power Pixxel Hyperspectral Satellites with Solis+ Space-Grade Solar Panels

    Space-Grade Solar Panels Abhay Egoor, CTO & Co-founder, Dhruva Space, with Kshitij Khandelwal, CTO & Founder, Pixxel

    Bengaluru: In a landmark collaboration within India’s rapidly advancing space-tech sector, Dhruva Space has announced a strategic partnership with Pixxel, a global leader in hyperspectral satellite imaging. Under this agreement, Dhruva Space will supply its Solis+ space-grade solar panels to power Pixxel’s upcoming constellation of high-performance satellites.

    This agreement marks a critical step in building an integrated and self-reliant Indian space hardware ecosystem, reinforcing the credibility and export readiness of homegrown satellite infrastructure.

    Also Read: SatSure and Dhruva Space Launch Integrated Earth Observation-as-a-Service Platform

    Powering India’s Hyperspectral Future

    Pixxel’s next fleet of satellites, designed for daily revisit and ultra-high-resolution hyperspectral imaging, will incorporate Dhruva Space’s Solis+ space-grade solar panels. Engineered with triple-junction GaAs solar cells, the Solis+ system delivers up to 30% efficiency, designed to withstand the harsh conditions of low-earth orbit (LEO) environments.

    Precision-manufactured in Dhruva Space’s Hyderabad facility, these space-grade solar panels offer scalable power outputs in the kilowatt range and are already fulfilling orders from countries such as the UAE, Austria, Australia, and France. The technology has also been successfully deployed for a recent Government of India mission in 2024.

    “Power systems are mission-critical in space, and Dhruva Space brings the kind of reliability and innovation we need as we scale globally,” said Kshitij Khandelwal, Co-founder and CTO of Pixxel. “This partnership not only strengthens India’s space capabilities but also helps deliver satellite data that tackles some of the planet’s most pressing challenges.”

    Space-Grade Solar Panels: Made-in-India Technology with Global Reach

    “There are only a handful of global players who design, qualify, and export space-grade solar panels—and Dhruva Space is proud to be one of them,” stated Abhay Egoor, CTO and Co-founder of Dhruva Space. “Our Solis+ platform is the result of years of indigenous R&D and flight-tested heritage.”

    Dhruva Space is currently building South Asia’s first end-to-end spacecraft manufacturing facility across 6.5 acres, with 280,000 sq. ft. of built-up space.

    The facility includes:

    • 30,000 sq. ft. dedicated to space-grade solar array design and development
    • 40,000 sq. ft. for assembly, integration, and testing of spacecraft up to 500 kg class

    This facility will enable scalable, vertical integration for spacecraft manufacturing from Indian soil, accelerating the country’s entry into global supply chains.

    Also Read: DRDO-IIT Delhi Demonstrate 1 km Quantum Entanglement-Based Free-Space Quantum Secure Communication

    Collaborative Innovation for Global Challenges

    With the success of its Firefly series launched in early 2025, Pixxel is scaling to a constellation of 18–24 satellites that will deliver 5-meter hyperspectral imagery for sectors such as agriculture, climate monitoring, oil & gas, and environmental management.

    The partnership with Dhruva Space brings together two of India’s most promising space-tech companies to solve global problems with made-in-India technology.

    Author

    • Salil Urunkar

      Salil Urunkar is a senior journalist and the editorial mind behind Sahyadri Startups. With years of experience covering Pune’s entrepreneurial rise, he’s passionate about telling the real stories of founders, disruptors, and game-changers.

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