Deeptech Startup Sthyr Energy Secures $1 Mn to Advance Zinc-Air Battery Innovation

IIT Madras-incubated startup Sthyr Energy has raised $1 million in seed funding, led by Speciale Invest and supported by Antares Ventures, reported Economic Times. The funding will accelerate the development of their novel mechanically rechargeable Zinc-Air battery system, designed for long-duration, grid-scale energy storage.

What Makes Sthyr Stand Out

• Mechanically rechargeable Zinc-Air battery architecture
• 100+ hours of storage ideal for seasonal and remote grid use
• Uses non-flammable, water-based electrolytes for safety
• No rare earth materials; built from locally available resources
• Decoupled energy and power components for modular scaling
• Targets fossil-free peaker plant replacement and microgrids

Comparison with Other Energy Storage Solutions

Lithium-Ion Batteries

• 4–6 hour duration
• Safety concerns due to thermal runaway
• Dependence on imported metals like cobalt and lithium
• Suited for EVs and short-duration balancing

Flow Batteries

• 6–12 hours duration, extendable
• Generally safe but bulky systems
• Uses vanadium or other redox materials
• Costly upfront, best for frequent cycling

Green Hydrogen

• Storage duration from days to weeks
• Challenges with storage and flammability
• Involves electrolyzers and fuel cells
• Still expensive with energy conversion inefficiencies

Sthyr Energy was founded by Gunjan Kapadia, Akhil Kongara, and Muhammed Hamdan, all researchers from IIT Madras. Gunjan serves as the CEO, Akhil as the CTO, and Hamdan as the COO. Their collaboration stems from over five years of foundational research at IIT-M, where they set out to rethink battery architecture for long-duration energy storage.

The Deeptech founders are quite the powerhouse trio—each bringing technical depth and a mission-driven mindset to the table.

Sthyr’s Zinc-Air solution could prove transformative for India’s renewable grid, microgrids in remote areas, and as a cost-effective alternative to fossil-based peaker plants—marking a significant step toward energy independence and resilience.

InspeCity Raises $1.5 Mn from Speciale Invest to Revolutionize In-Space Servicing and Build Earth 2.0 in the Near-Earth Space

• InspeCity raises $1.5 million from Speciale Invest to revolutionize in-space servicing and build Earth 2.0 in the near-earth space
• The round was co-led by Antler India and Veda VC. Anicut Capital, DeVC India, and PointOne Capital also participated in the round
• InspeCity is on a mission to build the first city in a suitable orbit between Earth and the moon to address the problem of resource scarcity on Earth.
• The company is developing enabling technologies for building these cities, and autonomous robotic platforms are a key piece of technology that allows the company to service satellites in all orbits.
• The new lease of funding would help the company to demonstrate its technology for in-orbit servicing by showing that a defunct satellite can be docked with Vehicle for life-Extension and Deorbiting Activities (VEDA) on an air-bearing platform.

InspeCity, a space tech startup, has raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Speciale Invest, a deep-tech venture capitalist. The round was co-led by Antler India and Veda VC. Other investors participating in the round include Anicut Capital, DeVC India and others. The recent pre-seed funding is a clear indication of the growing support for InspeCity's mission to build advanced autonomous robotic platforms for in-space servicing. It will also be channelised to develop the tech stack within the company and attract quality talent to accomplish the mission and vision.

Founded in mid-2022, InspeCity has a mission to build the first city in a suitable orbit between Earth and the moon, addressing the problem of resource scarcity on Earth. The company is currently developing enabling technologies for building those cities, with autonomous robotic platforms being a key technology that allows them to service satellites in all orbits. Such capabilities allow for easy manipulation and machining of larger structures in space. InspeCity envisions building space factories that support a true in-space economy and eventually building the city.

InspeCity's cutting-edge technology and long-term vision are well-suited to meet the increasing demand for non-GEO satellite constellations, making it an important player in the growing space industry. Northern Sky Search projects IoSM revenue to reach $14.3 billion by 2031, with life extension contributing $4.7 billion.

The investment raised will primarily be used to achieve two objectives. Firstly, InspeCity aims to demonstrate that a defunct satellite can be docked with a deorbited satellite using its Vehicle for life-Extension and Deorbiting Activities (VEDA) on an air-bearing platform, where both satellites will move without friction. VEDA will autonomously locate the defunct satellite and dock with it using a proprietary robotic mechanism named RAMA (Remotely Actuated Motorized Arm). The demonstration will prove the effectiveness of InspeCity's technology for in-orbit servicing. Secondly, the funding will be utilized to develop InspeCity's technology further and expand its team.

"We are grateful for the support of our investors as we pursue our mission to build the first city in space. This will tremendously help us further develop our technology for in-orbit servicing and autonomous robotic platforms. Our vision is to create a new economy in space and build human habitats that transcend the limitations of our current planetary systems. We are excited to have our investors join us in this journey towards the future of space exploration and development,” said Arindrajit Chowdhury, CEO, Inspecity.

"We are very excited to support InspeCity's ambitious mission to build cities in space. The company's innovative technology, particularly its autonomous robotic platforms and in-orbit servicing capabilities, holds promise for the future of space exploration and development. We have immense confidence in InspeCity's ability to achieve its goals and are proud to be part of its journey. We look forward to collaborating with the team and backing them to their success," said Vishesh Rajaram, Managing Partner at Speciale Invest.

With its focus on developing innovative solutions for in-space servicing and building large-scale human habitats beyond the constraints of current planetary systems, InspeCity is poised to make a lasting impact in the space industry.

Inspecity has raised INR 15 million grant from the iDEX platform for the development of micropropulsion systems for cubesats. The company has received a grant of INR 1 million from TIH Foundation at IIT Bombay for technological support to develop an inter-satellite link.

About Inspecity

Founded in mid-2022, InspeCity is building Earth 2.0 in near-earth space. In the near term, the engineers of InspeCity are creating a fleet of Vehicles for life-Extension and Deorbiting Activities (VEDA), equipped with Robotically Inserted Guidance systems (RIG) to cater to satellite-servicing, active debris removal, and satellite-deployment in all orbits. In the long term, the extensive fleet of RIG-equipped VEDAs will be leveraged to build innovative large-scale human habitats in space, free from the tyranny of solar-planetary environments.
https://www.inspecity.com/

About Speciale Invest

Founded in 2017 by Co-founders Vishesh Rajaram and Arjun Rao, Speciale Invest is a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests in founders building technologies of tomorrow. The firm backs ingenious entrepreneurs that use disruptive technologies to find innovative solutions that make an impact.

The fund's interests include Enterprise Software Products (emerging from deep tech in Data Infrastructure, Cloud, AI-led SAAS, and Developer tools) and Industrial Hardware Products (emerging from deep tech in Propulsion tech, Robotics, Rocket engines, Battery tech, Micro-electronics, Optical Communication tech).

Technology Solutions Provider iauro Systems Raises Funding from Speciale Invest

iauro Systems Pvt Ltd, a leading scalable technology solutions provider aspiring to partner with brands in their digital transformation, announced, today, that it has raised a round of financing from venture capital firm Speciale Invest. This investment enables iauro to fuel its next phase of growth, build and explore partnerships enabling digital transformation, and to utilize the expertise and experience of the leadership team of Speciale Invest brings to the partnership. Speciale Invest’s Vishesh Rajaram will also join iauro's Board of Directors.

Speaking on the investment, Vishesh Rajaram, Managing Partner, Speciale Invest said, “Digital transformation is not a choice, but a requirement for companies to grow in today’s business environment, and we look for iauro to be large contributor, working with brands in disrupting their industries through radical digital transformation solutions.”

Founded in 2009 by Anupam Kulkarni and Nilesh Ratnaparkhi., iauro is a technology company focused on delivering scalable Mobile, Cloud and Big Data solutions. Anupam Kulkarni, Cofounder, iauro Systems, said, “Speciale Invest’s investment in iauro is a clear validation of our business model and value proposition. Over the years, we have successfully built the company to this inflection point from where we see ourselves propelling to the next level of growth. Speciale Invest’s experience and investment will help us to achieve this vision.”

Among various verticals, iauro concentrates on IoT in integrating machine-generated data with traditional and cloud databases working with clients across verticals and geographies such as BookMyShow, Bilcare, Translations, Affinity Express, OVGuide, TVS Sundaram, and Tech Mahindra to name a few. The brand looks help client partners take simple ideas and transform them into high-performance, scalable solutions. The company looks to use this strategic partnership to propel the next level of growth.