From Banking to the Cosmos: Indian-Origin Banker Leaves Job to Launch Deep Space Startup, Securing ₹207 Crore in Funding

Meet Rohit Jha, a 36-year-old who wears his nerd badge with pride. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Transcelestial, a startup that’s raised an impressive $24 million (about Rs 207 crore). Originally from Jharkhand, India, Rohit decided to leave his steady banking job in Singapore to chase his passion for deep space and communications technology.

Growing up in Jamshedpur, Rohit studied electrical and electronic engineering at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore after finishing high school on a scholarship. He kicked off his career in 2011 at the Royal Bank of Canada, diving into high-frequency trading. But soon, he found something unsettling.

“It was in banking that I realized why the internet sucked,” Rohit shared in an interview with CNBC Make It. He saw that companies providing internet services mostly focused on profitable areas, often ignoring remote villages that needed better connectivity.

During this time, he also reflected on his role in the banking world. “I worked with an amazing team, but at times, I felt like just another cog in the wheel,” he said. He wanted more – a chance to explore the unknown.

In 2015, Rohit took a leap of faith, quitting his job and spending a year traveling. This journey inspired him to create Transcelestial. His startup is on a mission to improve internet access using a laser-based network that connects cell towers and other infrastructure, aiming for fiber-like quality.

But Transcelestial isn’t stopping at just local connectivity. Rohit has plans to build a constellation of small satellites in low Earth orbit. This ambitious project would allow their laser network to link cities and continents, paving the way for global internet access.

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