A surge in data from the internet and AI is driving demand to move more of it in space. While computing power continues to advance, the ability to move data between satellites has become a critical bottleneck. This is expected to grow as industry giants consider building data centers in space. Ravee has announced an oversubscribed USD 6 million funding round led by BIG Capital, a Vietnam-based investment firm with several successful space tech investments in its portfolio, along with co-investment from JobsOhio Ventures and Cincinnati-based CincyTech. The financing follows Ravee’s graduation from the Seraphim Space Accelerator last year.

Leveraging decades of experience with optical technology, including time with the Air Force Research Lab in Dayton, Ohio, co-founders Piyush Shah and Augustine Urbas formed Ravee Optics to apply next-generation optical technology to rapidly growing defense and commercial markets.

“We are building ultra-compact optical communications terminals to serve the growing demand for on-orbit data transport,” said Shah. “We built our technology to address this challenge at scale with revolutionary optics technology and design for manufacturing to enable wider deployment of optical communications across the future space ecosystem.”

The company’s initial focus is on addressing the limitations of current satellite communication technology by building optical communication systems designed for scale. Its hardware is smaller, lighter and easier to produce in large volumes, making it possible to deploy more systems across growing satellite networks. The company’s systems use lasers to transmit data between satellites, enabling faster communication than traditional approaches. By redesigning how these systems are built, Ravee can deliver more data up to 10 to 100 times greater than current standards using smaller, lighter hardware to transport that data.

Ravee has generated early revenue through testing programs and has demonstrated the core optics technology through a U.S. Air Force program. The company is working with government and commercial partners as it moves toward eventual deployment across satellite networks.

“What stands out about Ravee is their focus on building smaller and lighter systems that can be produced and deployed at scale—across large and growing satellite networks,” said Lt. Gen. John F. Thompson (retired), who was Commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, and advisor to Ravee and board member.

“AI is driving a surge in data in space, and the systems to move that data haven’t kept up,” said Emma Off, CEO of CincyTech. “Ravee is focused on solving that bottleneck with an approach built for scale. This investment marks our entry into the space economy and reflects our focus on backing companies solving real problems in growing markets.”

Alexander Holt, Managing Director of Seraphim Space Enterprise, said: “We are delighted with the progress that Ravee Optics has made since graduating from the Seraphim Space Accelerator in 2025. Gaining early commercial revenues and playing into the needs of defense markets and a strong investor base point to a very promising trajectory for the team.”

“As our nation continues its pursuit to advance technology and communication in space, Ohio innovators have a unique advantage to develop both military and commercial partnerships that can move these innovations forward,” said JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef. “Ravee is leveraging these exceptional resources, including the AFRL, to pioneer new ways to more rapidly move data and messaging via satellite and strengthen our national defense.”

The investment will support Ravee’s continued engineering and product development as it works toward testing in space and broader deployments across satellite networks.

Click here to learn more about Ravee's Satellite Optical Network Technology