Satlyt Raises $8M Seed to Run AI Software on Satellites

Satlyt, a Sunnyvale, California- and Nairobi-based space software startup, raised an $8 million seed round led by Houston-based Non Sibi Ventures, founder Rama Afullo told TechCrunch. The company builds software that runs AI models on satellites, positioning itself as an infrastructure layer for orbital computing rather than a spacecraft manufacturer. Satlyt's software is scheduled to launch October 1, 2026, on a SpaceX rocket aboard a spacecraft built by India's TakeMe2Space, serving NASA, space-surveillance startup Stellerian and TakeMe2Space. Earlier this year, Satlyt deployed Google DeepMind's Gemma model on a Momentus spacecraft, cutting the size of an onboard software-error transmission by more than 60% — savings Afullo estimates at hundreds of thousands of dollars per satellite annually. The company has flown two demonstration missions and plans to test a shared computing system spanning two satellites next year. Afullo aims to be live on 20% of satellites by 2030.