Brands
No Pain No Pilgrimage Iodex Steps into Magh Mela
Active Zones offer relief at Prayagraj as brand backs faith with care.
Prayagraj: When devotion stretches for miles, so do aching calves. At the sprawling grounds of Prayagraj’s Magh Mela, where millions gather in faith and footfall, Iodex has quietly positioned itself as a companion not just to prayer, but to pain relief.
The pain management brand has set up Iodex Active Zones across the mela grounds, offering on-the-go relief to weary pilgrims navigating long walks, crowded routes and packed schedules. The initiative, designed to provide quick massages, product sampling and awareness around pain management practices, aims to ensure that discomfort does not eclipse devotion.
Iodex is leaning into high-footfall religious congregations to build deeper consumer engagement. At Magh Mela, the activation goes beyond product presence, blending experiential outreach with education on managing strain and fatigue during physically demanding journeys.
Local influencers have also joined the effort, creating relevant, ground-level content that connects the brand’s promise of relief with the lived realities of pilgrims. The approach mirrors Iodex’s strategy over the past year, during which it engaged millions of consumers across major gatherings including Maha Kumbh, Kanwar Yatra, Pandharpur Yatra and Ganesh Chaturthi.
Haleon India, category lead for pain & respiratory care Pavan Wani said, “Across India’s bustling congregations, millions walk long distances carrying hopes, offerings, and the strength of their faith. As a brand dedicated to helping Indians do more of what matters by eliminating pain, Iodex ensures a meaningful presence at these high footfall events. Our Iodex Active Zones provide targeted pain management support through massages, sampling, and education, ensuring that pain never stands in the way of devotion, travel, or personal purpose. These efforts reflect Haleon’s commitment to putting Health in More Hands and supporting every Indian’s journey, one pain free step at a time.”
In a landscape where brands often chase eyeballs, Iodex appears to be chasing sore muscles instead, inserting itself at the intersection of culture, movement and moment. At Magh Mela, relief has become part of the ritual, and in the long walk of faith, comfort has found a sponsor.
Brands
SatLeo Labs raises $5.5m seed funding led by Unicorn India Ventures
Fresh capital to power thermal satellite mission and AI data platform
MUMBAI: SatLeo Labs has raised $2.2 million in a fresh seed round led by Unicorn India Ventures, taking its total funding to $5.5 million as it steps up efforts to scale its space-based thermal intelligence platform.
The funding round also saw participation from existing backers including Merak Ventures, Java Capital, IIMA-CIIE and deep-tech investor Manish Gandhi.
The capital will be used to accelerate SatLeo’s flagship thermal satellite mission and further develop its AI-powered platform designed to deliver high-resolution thermal and visible data from low Earth orbit. The company aims to turn this data into actionable insights for sectors ranging from climate monitoring to urban planning.
Over the past year, SatLeo has scaled rapidly, growing its team from 8 to 30 specialists across satellite engineering, thermal sensing and AI-led geospatial analytics. It has also achieved a key milestone with the development of its first experimental payload, TAPAS-1, which reached near flight-ready status within six months and is now positioned for launch.
On the ground, the startup has begun translating its technology into real-world use cases. Pilot projects in cities such as Ahmedabad and Tumakuru have focused on monitoring urban heat islands and air pollution, impacting over 400,000 citizens. At the same time, its commercial pipeline has expanded sharply, with letters of intent rising from around $15 million to over $42 million within a year.
SatLeo Labs co-founder and CEO Shravan Bhati said, “Sustainability has become imperative amid accelerating climate change and rapid urbanisation. This fundraise represents a critical milestone as we move into the execution phase of our next mission.”
He added that the company is focused on scaling its satellite constellation and enhancing payload performance to deliver thermal intelligence at a global level.
Backing the startup, Unicorn India Ventures managing partner Bhaskar Majumdar said, “Space is an arena where the next wave of technological innovation will emerge. SatLeo’s ability to combine thermal and visible satellite data into real-time insights positions it strongly for long-term growth.”
Looking ahead, SatLeo plans to focus on launch readiness, expanding commercial deployments and scaling its technology stack over the next 12 months.
As demand for climate and environmental intelligence grows, SatLeo’s latest fundraise signals rising investor confidence in space-tech solutions that bring data from orbit down to everyday decision-making.
