London-based space tech startup Foundational has exited stealth mode, announcing a £8.2 million pre-seed funding round. The investment round included participation from Inflection, BACKED, Final Frontier, Adjacent, and Type One Ventures. The company was established in 2025 by Hira Virdee and Dave Gooding to commercialize Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) technology.
The firm focuses on automating and scaling SLR, a method for determining the precise position of orbital objects by measuring the return time of laser pulses. Foundational integrates space-mounted retroreflectors, automated ground-based laser stations, and a data processing platform. This system aims to provide millimetre-level positioning accuracy for various commercial and governmental applications.
The company plans to utilize the new capital to expand its ground-station network, vertically integrate hardware manufacturing, and increase the production of its retroreflectors. Additionally, the funding will support further development of the company's data platform. Foundational intends to build a global network to deliver positioning data to satellite operators, insurers, and government agencies.
Foundational's technology builds upon systems previously developed at Lumi Space, a company founded by Virdee in 2018 with support from the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency. Current partners and customers include aerospace manufacturers, research institutes, and operators of low Earth orbit constellations who require precise data for space traffic management and navigation.
