QOSMIC Raises $3.3M Seed to Replace Radio Links with Lasers

QOSMIC, a spacetech startup based in Bengaluru, raised $3.3 million in seed funding from Accel and Prosus. The company builds laser-based optical communication systems designed to replace traditional radio-frequency satellite links. It will use the capital to deploy optical ground stations and communication terminals for customers around the world.

Satellite data demand is rising. More spacecraft are entering orbit each year. RF bandwidth has limited capacity. Optical links can carry significantly larger data volumes at higher speeds. QOSMIC recently tested its system over a 10-kilometer ground link. The company said the test validated high-speed data transfer and the pointing-tracking loop outside a lab environment. Those functions are critical for maintaining a stable laser connection between satellites and ground stations.

The startup has also partnered with TakeMe2Space to develop optical inter-satellite link systems for low earth orbit. QOSMIC will build the optical communication terminals. TakeMe2Space will design the high-precision gimbal and satellite bus components, including attitude control. The first terminal from that collaboration is expected to launch in the second quarter of 2027, integrated into TakeMe2Space's MOI constellation.

Shreyaans Jain and Rohit Ramakrishnan co-founded QOSMIC. Aloke Kumar is also a co-founder. The startup was one of six selected for the Atoms X cohort, a joint initiative by Accel and Prosus backing science-driven innovations. South Park Commons and ARTPARK also participated in the seed round. Angel investor Manish Jain joined as well. South Park Commons is a seed fund that backs technical founders. ARTPARK is a deep-tech incubator supported by the Indian government.

"We believe optical communications will become as fundamental to space infrastructure as fibre optics became to the internet," said co-founder and CEO Shreyaans Jain. "This funding enables us to accelerate that transition and build the connectivity layer that the next generation of space applications will rely on."

The Indian spacetech commercial market is expected to cross $77 billion by 2030. QOSMIC sits at a specific bottleneck: satellite data downlink capacity. Most operators still rely on RF downlinks. QOSMIC's optical approach could reduce the time needed to transmit large datasets, such as high-resolution imagery. The 10-kilometer ground test suggests the pointing and tracking works. Space-qualifying the hardware against radiation and thermal cycles is the next hurdle.

The partnership with TakeMe2Space gives QOSMIC a path to orbit without building a satellite bus from scratch. The first terminal launch in Q2 2027 is the next concrete milestone. The startup is also preparing for in-orbit tests of its own ground-to-space links.