"No one really knows what happens in 70% of Earth's surface”

This stark reality drove Gaurav Seth and Vinit Bansal to create PierSight, a spacetech startup using SAR and AIS-equipped satellites to pierce through this maritime blindspot and bring 24/7 visibility to the world's oceans.

When the former ISRO scientist Gaurav and National Instruments engineer Vinit first collaborated on a prototype that normally takes months to build, they completed it in just six weeks. This "aha moment" sparked a journey to revolutionize maritime surveillance through a constellation of all-weather imaging satellites.

In this illuminating Day One conversation with Manish Advani (Vice President, Elevation Capital), Gaurav and Vinit discuss their journey of building PierSight, why they chose SAR vs optical imaging, their unique approach to team building, going after the right applications, what it takes to win defence contracts, and early market validation while navigating the challenges of building a deep-tech startup in India.