Jammu-born entrepreneur Onkar Singh Batra has gone from becoming a record-holding child technologist to building a Silicon Valley space startup aimed at solving one of the major communication challenges faced by satellites in low Earth orbit.

Now 20, Batra is the founder and CEO of Apolink, a startup developing a satellite data-relay network designed to provide continuous, low-latency connectivity for spacecraft in low Earth orbit. The company has raised $4.3 million from investors including Y Combinator and is working to reduce communication gaps that occur when satellites move beyond the range of conventional ground stations.

Batra’s journey into technology began at an unusually young age. At just seven years old, he built his first website and was later recognised as the world’s youngest male webmaster. His early achievements continued rapidly. By the age of 12, he had written a book, and at 13, he founded his own technology company. During the COVID-19 period, his work in technology also earned him the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, one of India’s major national honours for children.

At around 16, he worked on InQube, an open-source satellite project designed so that its technical work could be studied and built upon by others. The experience exposed him to a persistent challenge in space communications: satellites in low Earth orbit can lose contact with ground stations when they move beyond their line of sight. Founded in 2024, Apolink is developing a next-generation data relay network using a combination of radio-frequency and optical inter-satellite communication technologies. The goal is to enable satellites to relay information between spacecraft and ground infrastructure more continuously, reducing the communication gaps commonly experienced by satellites in low Earth orbit. The startup has raised $4.3 million, with backing from investors including Y Combinator, 468 Capital, Unshackled Ventures, Rebel Fund and Maiora Ventures.

Apolink took another major step in 2026 when its first demonstration satellite, IPoS-TDsM, was deployed as part of a SpaceX Transporter-17 mission. Following deployment, the company reported that it had successfully established contact with the satellite, marking an important milestone in the development of its planned space-based relay network. Batra’s journey—from building websites as a seven-year-old in Jammu to developing satellites and raising millions of dollars for a space technology company—reflects an unusual progression from childhood innovation to global entrepreneurship. At just 20, he is now working on infrastructure that could help satellites maintain more reliable connectivity while orbiting Earth. From becoming a world record holder as a child to launching a satellite-relay startup in Silicon Valley, Onkar Singh Batra’s story has evolved from an early fascination with technology into an ambitious effort to reshape communication in space.