NeuralSat's $3.2M Bet: A High-Speed Data Network in Space

Jan de Vries · 2026-11-13

Würzburg-based SpaceTech startup NeuralSat just raised €2.9 million (about $3.2 million) in pre-Seed funding. The goal? Build a satellite network that makes data transmission and computing in orbit faster and smarter. ### Who's Backing NeuralSat? The round was led by Capnamic Ventures and Bayern Kapital, with participation from ZOHO.VC, Robin Capital, BAB – Die Förderbank für Bremen und Bremerhaven, KIEMIS Holding, and Mission E Capital. That's a solid mix of VCs and development banks, which says a lot about confidence in the team. ### The Problem: Satellites Are Dumb (Literally) CEO Mohd Bilal didn't mince words in a public statement. "Space technology is fascinating, but when you look beneath the surface, you realise how many systems have remained unchanged for years," he said. "Established rules continue to shape how we operate in orbit, even when those rules no longer serve us." He's got a point. Most satellites today launch without onboard networking capabilities. We send hardware worth millions into space without giving it the ability to talk to other satellites. Resources are rarely shared across spacecraft or seamlessly connected with ground systems. It's like buying a fleet of trucks but forgetting to install radios. ### The Solution: A Shared Orbital Infrastructure NeuralSat is developing an integrated orbital infrastructure that combines high-speed data relay with distributed computing. Instead of every satellite carrying its own heavy communications and computing hardware, operators could tap into shared infrastructure. Here's how it would work: satellites transfer data to NeuralSat nodes, where information is processed, prioritized, and transmitted to available ground stations. The network is designed to support speeds up to 50 gigabits per second using optical and high-frequency radio links. That's a big deal. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), approximately 100,000 satellites could be in orbit by 2030. That's a lot of data to move around, and current ground station availability and onboard processing resources will struggle to keep up. ### A European Space Tech Wave NeuralSat's funding comes amid a series of European investments in satellite communications and data infrastructure. London-based The Compression Company raised €2.8 million ($3.1 million) for onboard satellite data compression. France's UNIVITY secured €27 million ($29.8 million) for space-based 5G connectivity. Switzerland's SWISSto12 closed a €61 million ($67.3 million) Series C. In Germany, Bremen-based Marble Imaging raised an additional €6 million ($6.6 million) for its Earth-observation constellation, while AIRMO secured €5 million ($5.5 million) for satellite-based emissions monitoring. Together with UK-based NewOrbit's €16 million ($17.7 million) raise, these financings total about €117.8 million ($129.9 million), or €120.7 million ($133.1 million) including NeuralSat. ### The Team Behind the Vision Founded in 2026 in Würzburg, Germany, NeuralSat was established by Mohd Bilal, Manohar Karnal, and Rishi Jaiswal. Bilal serves as CEO with expertise in embedded software. Jaiswal leads technology development as CTO, bringing a background in mechatronics. Karnal is COO, contributing know-how in thermal engineering. "We are working toward a future in which space infrastructure is intelligent, connected, and accessible," Bilal added. "Our goal is to enable the near-real-time delivery of space-based insights for emergency response, security, and other time-critical missions, because when every second matters, delays have real consequences." That's a mission worth watching. If NeuralSat pulls it off, the next generation of satellites won't just be smarter—they'll finally be able to talk to each other.