TAMPA, Fla. — Skylo has raised $30 million to enable standard smartphones to connect to partner geostationary satellites in more areas worldwide.
The Silicon Valley startup has now raised around $183 million since it was created in 2017 to enable texting and other low-bandwidth services outside cellular coverage, cofounder and chief product officer Tarun Gupta said.
The proceeds will help Skylo deploy the network hardware geostationary operators need in their gateways to connect compatible smartphones using the latest cellular standards, such as the Google Pixel 9 Series.
Skylo currently provides commercial services in 35 countries across five continents, after recently expanding into Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand through a partnership with Viasat, which is supplying spectrum and capacity for these markets.
“The new funding will help us double down on market expansion,” Skylo cofounder and CEO Parthsarathi Trivedi said via email.
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“Skylo will now be investing in our go-to-market presence, expanding geographically, and doubling down on product teams, sales, and marketing efforts.” Skylo is also working to extend its satellite-enabled connectivity beyond to wearables and other connected devices.
The venture declined to comment on pending markets.
Several companies are racing to provide direct-to-smartphone services — including SpaceX, AST SpaceMobile and Lynk Global, which are developing low Earth orbit constellations designed to use spectrum from cellular partners to connect a greater variety of smartphones already in circulation.
NGP Capital led Skylo’s latest funding round, joined by Westly Group and existing investors Intel Capital, BMW i Ventures, Samsung Catalyst Fund, and Next47.