Chennai-based space startup aims to create India's first private GPS network
The startup aims to offer positioning with centimeter-level accuracy and timing at a nanosecond resolution. It will utilise LEO satellites to provide signals that are resistant to spoofing and jamming.
A Chennai-based startup, VyomIC, announced on Tuesday that it plans to build India's first private global satellite constellation to provide high-precision positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services. Founded by alumni of IIT-Madras, the startup has raised $1.6 million in pre-seed funding as the first step toward launching low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites for these services. The funding round was led by Speciale Invest, with participation from BYT Capital and DeVC.
"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 stated.
VyomIC was founded by Lokesh Kabdal, Vibhor Jain, and Anurag Patil, who previously led India's student-led hyperloop initiative and worked on commercial drone swarm deployments.
"We are not just building an Indian alternative to GPS—we are building a next-gen global system, engineered for autonomy, security, and precision," said Vibhor Jain, a co-founder of VyomIC.
VyomIC GPS features
The startup aims to provide centimeter-level positioning and nanosecond-level timing, which are crucial for applications in defense, finance, telecom, and autonomous systems. VyomIC's technology is designed to deliver spoofing-proof and jamming-resistant signals, overcoming the weaknesses of existing systems like GPS and GLONASS.
By using LEO satellites, the system will offer high precision, faster convergence, stronger signal power, and better coverage in urban and signal-contested environments.
Additionally, the VyomIC constellation will enable indoor PNT, allowing for navigation in previously inaccessible closed spaces and buildings.
"In a world increasingly shaped by autonomy, defense tech, and time-critical infrastructure, resilient navigation becomes non-negotiable. VyomIC's vision of a sovereign constellation addresses this need head-on," said Vishesh Rajaram, Managing Partner at Speciale Invest. "We're thrilled to back a team that has executed ambitious projects and is now taking on one of the most foundational layers of modern civilization—PNT".
The startup's long-term goal is to launch a full-fledged constellation to provide global users with secure, real-time navigation and timing services, laying the groundwork for the autonomous and sovereign infrastructures of the future.
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