In what could be a big boost for the fast-evolving space-tech ecosystem in India, Bengaluru-based startup Ulook has raised ₹19 crore in a funding round co-led by GrowX Ventures and InfoEdge Ventures. The capital is intended to further the company’s pioneering work in developing autonomous satellite swarms for radio frequency sensing and spectrum awareness.
Unlike conventional satellites that rely on optical imagery, Ulook’s technology captures RF snapshots—patterns of radio signals emitted by ships, aircraft, or ground-based devices. This allows for extremely accurate monitoring of activities even in areas with low visibility or other difficult tracking conditions. According to Siddhesh Naik, cofounder and chief executive of Ulook, the startup has been monitoring the growing emergence of shadow fleets in the Indian Ocean. “Our satellites can pick up hidden radio markers to pinpoint the location, track movement, and monitor duration of stay of vessels in a given area,” Naik told The Economic Times.
Ulook was founded by Naik along with Adheesh Boratkar, leveraging the founders’ deep experience in low-earth orbit satellites, UAV swarm systems, and high-altitude pseudo-satellite demonstrators. They foresee applications across defense, security, and commercial zones, including monitoring of activities at SEZs.
“Our focus is on building and validating our first prototype in North Bengaluru,” said Boratkar. “A significant portion of the funding will go into rigorous ground testing before launch. We’ve seen firsthand what can happen if testing is overlooked.” This methodical approach reflects the commitment of the startup to reliability and operational excellence-areas where precision is non-negotiable.
After funding, Ulook is rapidly hiring talent from elite Indian institutions like ISRO and DRDO along with other leading scientific research organizations to build a team that will be able to support the company’s ambitious vision with technological sovereignty.
The investment from GrowX Ventures underlines the potential of the startup. Manish Gupta, partner at GrowX, said, “Ulook’s quest for autonomous intelligent satellite systems reflects not just technical excellence but a commitment to sovereign innovation that can achieve lasting global relevance. The founders’ deep engineering pedigree and clear mission made this an irresistible opportunity.”
Ulook’s approach marks a clear directional shift in the Indian space-tech landscape. While commercial satellite imagery startups have got their due share of attention over recent years, RF sensing introduces a layer for tracking and monitoring that is both strategically critical but less explored in India. By focusing on the electromagnetic spectrum rather than optical imagery, Ulook opens avenues relating to national security, maritime surveillance, and industrial monitoring that are both high-value and mission-critical.
The startup’s innovation fits into India’s larger ambitions in space, especially in low-earth orbit technology and applications for defense. As satellite constellations grow increasingly complicated, autonomous swarm management and real-time RF data analysis offer visible benefits over traditional methods. According to experts, Ulook’s technology has the potential to complement India’s defense and maritime monitoring, offering persistent surveillance at a fraction of the costs compared with traditional means.
The ₹19 crore funding round also reflects the growing investor confidence in India’s deep-tech sector. With growing support from venture capitalists, including GrowX and InfoEdge, startups focused on aerospace, AI-driven operations, and RF sensing will continue to see accelerated development. This success story of Ulook shows how innovative technology merged with meticulous execution and strong leadership finds meaningful investment to drive the sector forward.
Going forward, Ulook intends to deploy its first operational prototype within a year and envisions deploying a full-fledged autonomous satellite network that will be able to conduct continuous RF surveillance. This effort signifies an important milestone in India’s journey toward advanced space capabilities and underlines the potential of homegrown startups to attain global relevance in cutting-edge domains. In short, Ulook represents the new wave of Indian space-tech startups that blend engineering rigor with strategic foresight and investor backing to create solutions of commercial and national significance. The company’s journey will be closely watched as it goes ahead and redefines satellite monitoring through autonomous, intelligent RF sensing-a frontier that could shape India’s space-tech narrative for years to come.
