MAM
Sreekumar Balasubramanian joins Publicis Capital as senior VP
MUMBAI: Sreekumar Balasubramania, who has 19 years of experience in global marketing communications companies, has been appointed as Publicis Capital senior vice president.
Balasubramanian will report in to the Publicis Capital CEO Hemant Misra.
Misra said, “It’s great to have Sree in our team. His mandate will be to focus on maintaining our high standards on existing businesses as well as on new business development.”
Before joining Publicis, Balasubramanian worked with W+K as Head Account Management. He also worked with other eminent agencies including Leo Burnett, Lowe, Rediffusion, Dentsu Communication among others.
On his appointment Balasubramanian said, “It is always important for people to get out of their comfort zones and face new challenges and Publicis has provided me that opportunity.”
“I see exceptional potential for leveraging their credentials on existing business and for growth. I look forward to being a part of this endowed team,” he added.
Balasubramanian has worked on categories like food and beverages, automotive, telecom, retail and services including brands like Thums Up, Maaza, Minute Maid, Coke Studio, Eristoff vodka, AirTel, Telenor Pakistan, Matrix Cellular, Toyota Kirloskar Motors, Audi India etc.
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.
