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pi Ventures leads Rs 30 Cr pre-Series A round in deep-tech company Velmenni

Entrackr · 15h ago

Medial

Snippets pi Ventures leads Rs 30 Cr pre-Series A round in deep-tech company Velmenni Launched in 2014 by Deepak Solanki, Velmenni is a deep-tech startup that empowers light-based wireless communication solutions using Li-Fi and Free Space Optics technologies. Velmenni, a deep-tech company in light-based wireless communication, has raised Rs 30 crore (approx. $3.3 million) in a pre-Series A funding round led by pi Ventures, along with participation from other investors such as MountTech Growth Fund-Kavachh and Apekso. The Delhi-based company had previously raised the same amount in a seed funding round and received Rs 7 crore in grants from the Department of Telecommunications (DCIS, TTDF) and the Ministry of Defence’s flagship iDEX programme. The proceeds will be utilized to accelerate the commercialization of its patented Free Space Optics (FSO) and Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) solutions and invest in building customized solutions for strategic defence and enterprise use cases while scaling in international markets, Velmenni said in a press release. Velmenni is a deep-tech startup that empowers light-based wireless communication solutions using Li-Fi and Free Space Optics technologies. The company enables secure, high-capacity connectivity for telecom, defence, and enterprise networks. It aims to unlock the next frontier of wireless communication using light. As surging data demand strains the limited radio frequency spectrum, Velmenni offers light/laser-based optical links, bypassing the need for expensive spectrum licensing or cable trenching while creating secure, interference-proof communication. “With an all-weather-tested, 100% Made in India design, we offer over 10Gbps seamless connectivity across ranges of 1-25 km. Whether for a tactical defence setup or a dense urban telecom network, we are providing a reliable, secure, and scalable alternative,” said Deepak Solanki, founder and CEO of Velmenni. Velmenni said it has deployed India’s first commercial carrier-grade FSO backhaul links to enable a private 5G network at a GMR thermal power plant in Odisha, maintaining 99.999% availability for over 18 months in tropical weather conditions. The company has also secured a multi-million-dollar deal from the Indian defence sector for its specialised FSO solution, which will be deployed across all Indian submarines to address connectivity challenges in harbour environments. The company claims to have executed multiple successful PoCs and over 50 live deployments in India, the SEA region, and with Tier-1 mobile network operators in the US. Its product has obtained CE certification and will soon receive FCC clearance.