This German Startup Just Raised $3.1M to Blanket Space in High-Speed Data

Jan de Vries · 2026-11-13

What if the biggest bottleneck in space isn't rockets or satellites, but the simple act of getting data back to Earth? That's the question a small team in Würzburg, Germany, is trying to answer. NeuralSat just raised €2.9 million (about $3.1 million) in pre-seed funding to build a satellite network that could change how we think about orbital data. The round was led by Capnamic Ventures and Bayern Kapital, with ZOHO.VC, Robin Capital, BAB – Die Förderbank für Bremen und Bremerhaven, KIEMIS Holding, and Mission E Capital also participating. It's a strong signal that investors see a real gap in the market. ### The Problem: Satellites Are Dumb (And That's Expensive) Here's something you might not realize: most satellites today launch without any onboard networking capabilities. They collect incredible amounts of data but can't talk to each other or share resources. "We send hardware worth millions into space without giving it the ability to communicate with other satellites," says CEO Mohd Bilal. "Resources are rarely shared across spacecraft or seamlessly connected with ground systems." That means each satellite needs its own expensive communication and computing hardware. It's like buying a separate phone for every app you use. Inefficient, right? And with the European Space Agency predicting up to 100,000 satellites in orbit by 2030, the current approach won't scale. ### NeuralSat's Big Idea: Shared Infrastructure in Orbit NeuralSat is building what it calls an integrated orbital infrastructure. Instead of every satellite carrying its own heavy gear, they could simply send data to NeuralSat nodes. Those nodes would process, prioritize, and relay information to ground stations. It's like a shared highway for data in space. The network is designed to support speeds up to 50 gigabits per second using optical and high-frequency radio links. That's fast enough to stream thousands of high-def videos simultaneously. And because the computing happens in orbit, operators can get near-real-time insights for things like emergency response and security. > "We are working toward a future in which space infrastructure is intelligent, connected, and accessible," Bilal adds. "When every second matters, delays have real consequences." ### A Growing Wave of SpaceTech Investment NeuralSat's round is part of a bigger trend. In 2026 alone, European space startups have raised over $127 million (€120.7 million) across various deals. London's The Compression Company raised €2.8 million for onboard data compression. France's UNIVITY secured €27 million for space-based 5G. Switzerland's SWISSto12 closed a €61 million Series C. Germany's Marble Imaging and AIRMO also raised significant rounds. Bayern Kapital, one of NeuralSat's lead investors, has been particularly active, having previously backed Reflex Aerospace's €50 million Series A. It's clear that smart money is betting on the infrastructure layer of the space economy. ### Who's Behind NeuralSat? Founded in 2026, NeuralSat was co-founded by Mohd Bilal (CEO), Manohar Karnal (COO), and Rishi Jaiswal (CTO). Bilal brings embedded software expertise, Jaiswal specializes in mechatronics, and Karnal has a background in thermal engineering. They're a small team with a big vision: to make space data as accessible as cloud computing. So next time you hear about a satellite image or a space-based sensor, remember: getting that data to you is harder than it looks. NeuralSat is trying to fix that, one node at a time.