India, Jan. 15 -- Spacetech startup Aule Space has raised $2 Mn (about INR 18 Cr) in a pre-seed funding round led by deeptech focussed VC firm pi Ventures, with participation from angel investors including Tonbo Imaging CEO Arvind Lakshmikumar and Intelsat's former board member Eash Sundaram.

With the fresh capital, Aule Space plans to expand its engineering team, build ground-based docking and testing infrastructure and develop its first demonstration satellite, which is scheduled for launch next year. The demonstration will serve as a proof point for its docking tech, the startup said in a statement.

Founded in 2024 by Jay Panchal, Nithyaa Giri and Hrishit Tambi, Aule Space is building autonomous satellites that can dock with and serv...