Skylo has raised $67.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Skylo's investors include BMW i Ventures, Cupule Ventures, Hanwha FutureProof, Innovation Endeavors, Intel Capital, Next47, OTB Ventures.
Skylo Technologies is a Mountain View, CA-based company providing global Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) services that enable direct satellite connectivity for smartphones, IoT devices, sensors, and machines using existing cellular standards like 3GPP Rel-17 NB-IoT and Narrowband IoT protocols[1][2][3][5]. It serves industries such as agriculture, maritime, logistics, mining, utilities, railways, and consumers needing ubiquitous coverage, solving the problem of connectivity gaps in remote areas by offering real-time, affordable satellite access—95% cheaper than traditional options—via firmware upgrades without extra hardware[1][2][4][5]. Skylo has shown strong growth momentum, raising $116M in Series A/B (2020), $37M in venture funding (2024), and $30M more (Feb 2025) from investors including BMW i Ventures, Intel Capital, Innovation Endeavors, and Samsung Catalyst Fund, while operating commercially on four continents with over 70 million square kilometers of coverage[1][2][4].
Skylo was founded by a team of engineers and scientists from MIT and Stanford, including co-founders Dr. Andrew Nuttall (CTO, PhD in Aeronautics & Astronautics from Stanford), Dr. Andrew E. Kalman (Chief Hardware Architect, former Stanford Associate Professor leading the Space & Systems Design Laboratory), and Tarun Gupta (CPO, with 20+ years at Google, Parallel Infrastructure, and FiberTower)[3]. The idea emerged from inventing a novel networking method using existing geostationary satellites for affordable, continuous global coverage, combined with expertise from deployment teams in Finland and India[3]. Early traction built through backing from major investors like SoftBank, DCM, and Moore Strategic Ventures in its $116M Series A/B round in 2020, evolving into commercial NTN services with 3GPP standards-based cloud-native infrastructure[1][2][3].
Skylo rides the direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity trend, enabled by 3GPP standards like Rel-17, which standardize NTN for seamless handover between terrestrial and satellite networks, addressing global coverage gaps where 80%+ of Earth's surface lacks cellular service[2][4][5]. Timing is ideal amid surging IoT adoption (billions of devices) and regulatory pushes for ubiquitous connectivity, amplified by market forces like satellite capacity growth from operators (e.g., geostationary partners) and chipmakers integrating NTN modems[1][3][4]. It influences the ecosystem by partnering across the mobile industry—device makers, MNOs, and satellite providers—accelerating D2D adoption in automotive, wearables, and enterprise IoT, while enabling new use cases like disaster management and remote monitoring that boost economic and safety outcomes[2][3][4].
Skylo is poised to dominate affordable NTN as 3GPP evolves (e.g., Rel-18+ for enhanced voice/data), with recent $30M funding fueling expansion into consumer devices and automotive amid trends like 5G NTN proliferation and LEO/GEO hybrid constellations[1][4]. Expect deeper integrations with OEMs like Samsung and BMW, scaling to billions of devices as spectrum auctions and global regs favor D2D. Its influence will grow by commoditizing satellite as "just another cell tower," transforming remote IoT from niche to essential—never losing coverage starts with Skylo's disruptive edge[2][5].
Skylo has raised $67.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $30.0M Venture Round in February 2025.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2025 | $30.0M Venture Round | BMW i Ventures, Cupule Ventures, Hanwha FutureProof, Innovation Endeavors, Intel Capital, Next47, OTB Ventures | |
| Feb 1, 2024 | $37.0M Series C | BMW i Ventures, Cupule Ventures, Hanwha FutureProof, Innovation Endeavors, Intel Capital, OTB Ventures |
