Akashalabdhi, an emerging space technology startup developing expandable space habitats and dual‑use defense systems, announced the successful closure of its pre‑seed funding round, raising $1.2 million. The investment comes from a distinguished group of investors including Uday Chatterjee, Romesh Sobti, Suraj Nalin, as well as venture funds LVX, 1Crowd, and Riceberg Ventures.
The capital will accelerate the development of ANTARIKSHAB, Akashalabdhi’s flagship expandable space habitat designed to support orbital logistics, microgravity research, space habitation, and defense purposes. The funds will also back the advancement of related projects, including inflatable solar arrays, analogue environment studies, and the maiden orbital launch of its minimum viable product (MVP).
Akashalabdhi is pioneering dual‑use aerospace and defense technology, blending defense‑grade solutions for Earth’s security with next‑generation space infrastructure for humanity’s presence in orbit.
“Our ambition is to position India as a leader in orbital infrastructure and habitation by innovating at the intersection of defense and space exploration,” said Siddharth Jena, Founder of Akashalabdhi. “Closing this pre‑seed round is a critical step toward realizing ANTARIKSHAB. With the support of our investors, we are turning visionary concepts into actionable realities.”
The startup is incubated at FSID, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and TIDES, IIT Roorkee, and backed by the KickSky Accelerator. Akashalabdhi leverages cutting‑edge research and mentorship to translate ambitious concepts into scalable aerospace solutions.
This funding milestone marks the start of a new chapter for Akashalabdhi, setting the stage for India’s growing role in orbital infrastructure, dual‑use defense technologies, and the next era of space exploration.
By: Arushi Agarwal
