Karnataka village boy grabs NASA contract, raises ₹900 crore: Meet Awais Ahmed, who spent his childhood without Internet

Awais Ahmed grew up in Aldur village, Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru district. Internet access was largely unavailable during his early childhood years. He first discovered space through encyclopaedias his father brought home.

These books introduced him to galaxies, planets and cosmic mysteries. Without online videos, his curiosity grew through reading and imagination. This early fascination would later shape his entire career path.

“Didn’t have access to internet till I was in 8th grade so I spent a lot of time reading encyclopedias on space and science and technology. High school was also the time I became fascinated with my high school’s library and my lifelong obsession with books began (sic),” Awais wrote on his website.

Ahmed studied Mathematics at BITS Pilani during his college years. He joined Team Anant, a student satellite project developed with ISRO. He also became the engineering lead of Hyperloop India later on. That team competed in the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition globally.

Pixxel

Pixxel’s origins trace back to 2018 and the IBM Watson AI Challenge. Ahmed and batchmate Kshitij Khandelwal needed detailed satellite imagery for crop analysis. They discovered such data simply didn’t exist anywhere.

Traditional satellites often missed smaller, critical environmental changes entirely. Early crop damage and methane emissions frequently went unnoticed. Rather than searching further, the pair decided to build their own solution.

They launched Pixxel in February 2019, while still in their 20s. Early funding came from money borrowed from Ahmed’s father. The founders managed on roughly ₹10,000 monthly during those early days.

Pixxel has since attracted significant investment from major international names. Google, Radical Ventures and Lightspeed have all backed the company. It has raised around $95 million (nearly ₹900 crore) in total funding.

Pixxel is now among the world’s most-funded hyperspectral imaging companies. In 2025, the company placed all six Firefly satellites into orbit. These satellites observe more than 250 spectral bands.

This provides significantly more detail than traditional Earth observation satellites offer. Farmers can spot crop stress before visible damage occurs. Companies can detect methane leaks using this advanced technology. Authorities can monitor illegal mining activity through the same systems.

International Recognition

Pixxel earned a place in TIME’s 100 Best Inventions of 2023. The World Economic Forum named it a Technology Pioneer in 2024. The company became the first Indian space startup with a NASA contract. It later signed a five-year deal with the US National Reconnaissance Office.

Ahmed has been recognised by Forbes 30 Under 30 and MIT Innovators Under 35. Khandelwal has also featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

Awais now moves between Bengaluru and Los Angeles. Both cities have Pixxel offices.