Spacetech startup Digantara secures $2 million in funding from Aditya Birla Ventures.

Spacetech startup Digantara, specializing in space situational awareness, announced securing $2 million in funding from Aditya Birla Ventures and SIDBI Venture Capital, the investment arms of Aditya Birla Group and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), respectively.

This recent funding round marks the completion of the Bengaluru-based startup's Series A funding stage, totaling $12 million. Back in June 2023, Digantara had raised $10 million led by Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India and Southeast Asia).

The company operates a Space-Mission Assurance Platform (Space-MAP), utilizing a multi-modal data pool to furnish stakeholders with datasets and orbital insights, aiming to ensure the safety and sustainability of space operations. According to the company, only 4% of orbiting objects are currently tracked, leaving a considerable gap in the surveillance and management of the millions of other objects in space.

Aryaman Vikram Birla, founder of Aditya Birla Ventures, expressed optimism about India's potential to become a significant player in the global space market, emphasizing their investment vision to support promising founders and nurture future-oriented businesses.

Digantara also introduced STARS (Space Threat Assessment and Response Suite), a proprietary military and defense suite intended to bolster national sovereign space capabilities. It is presently undergoing beta testing with select government agencies in Singapore, the United Kingdom, Australia, and India.

According to a shared statement, Digantara aims to expand its global presence across the US, UK, and European Union. Additionally, it plans to launch two space-based SSA (space situational awareness) sensors and operationalize two observatories in India by 2025.

Anirudh Sharma, CEO of Digantara, welcomed the support from Aditya Birla Group and SIDBI, emphasizing the significance of their investment in the space sector and its potential to drive India's space ecosystem towards accelerated development and global leadership in space innovation.

Founded in 2018 by Sharma, Rahul Rawat, and Tanveer Ahmed, Digantara had previously secured $2.5 million in seed capital from Kalaari Capital in July 2021.