Chennai-based startup VyomIC just landed INR 14 crore (about $1.6 million) in pre-seed funding led by Speciale Invest, with BYT Capital and DeVC also participating. This cash injection is a big step for VyomIC as it works to create a network of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. These satellites will deliver highly accurate, secure, and independent Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services.
While many daily D2C updates focus on consumer brands, VyomIC shows that deep-tech startups are equally important to India’s D2C space. The company’s focus on satellite-driven navigation could be a foundation for many Indian D2C business models, especially in industries where autonomous systems, secure finance, and telecom rely on precise navigation and timing.
VyomIC’s LEO-PNT tech aims to beat current systems like GPS and GLONASS. It offers positioning down to the centimeter and timing down to the nanosecond. The payload includes onboard atomic clocks, encrypted signals, and AI to determine orbits. This creates a navigation solution that is hard to spoof or jam. This could transform defense, aerospace, telecom, finance, and future mobility systems. With these features, VyomIC is becoming one of the newest D2C startups changing how India builds scalable and globally relevant products.
This funding shows that investors are more confident in VC-backed D2C brands and deep-tech projects. Speciale Invest, which has supported many frontier tech startups in India, believes VyomIC’s idea fits well with the country’s aim for independent navigation and key infrastructure. The money will go toward improving the LEO-based PNT payload, supporting a space demonstration, and hiring more people for R&D and business roles.
Lokesh Kabdal, Vibhor Jain, and Anurag Patil, who have skills in satellite tech, systems engineering, and business, co-founded VyomIC. Their goal is to build a navigation network ready for the world, ensuring freedom from foreign-controlled networks and providing stronger signals in cities and contested areas. For the broader D2C industry, this shows how Indian startups are going beyond consumer brands into deep-tech and infrastructure that will support many parts of the economy.
As D2C trends change, startups like VyomIC show that the definition of direct-to-consumer is expanding. It’s not just about fashion, beauty, and wellness brands anymore, but also about frontier tech with global uses. The precise and secure navigation from VyomIC could directly enable omnichannel D2C strategies, secure fintech, autonomous delivery, and even fast D2C commerce.
In the future, VyomIC plans to launch a complete network serving global users with secure, real-time navigation and timing. If it works, it will not only boost India’s tech independence but also establish VyomIC as a fast-growing D2C brand in deep-tech. With this funding and clear mission, VyomIC is not just building satellites—it’s building the future of India’s D2C space.
