Near Space Labs is a breakthrough drone-based imaging startup, powered by their high-resolution, aerial technology. They were recently awarded $20M in funding to boost their lofty endeavor of taking aerial images from the stratosphere. Founders Rema Matevosyan, Ignasi Lluch, and Albert Caubet Near Space. Their mission is to send these advanced Swift robots to provide the most detailed, accurate imagery at unprecedented speed. The company bravely guarantees it can do the things that would normally take 800,000 drone days or weeks to complete. Incredibly, they only need a few hours to accomplish this!
The founders of Near Space have a deep background in space science technology and physics, making them perfectly suited to the enterprise. REMA MATEVOSYAN Currently the CEO for the U.S. He had grown up in a household replete with technical talent, with physicists, programmers and amateur astronomers all surrounding him. Her Armenian heritage was a central force in her life. Her early education in mathematics at Yerevan State University proved to be an ideal steppingstone for her future career. Later she moved to Moscow to study in graduate school at the elite Skolkovo Institute. There, she connected with Lluch, who had traveled from Spain to pursue his own academic dreams.
Matevosyan characterized the technology that has been developed at Near Space as “dual use” — with applications well beyond commercial interests. Though the company has so far largely avoided the defense sector. She mentioned that there is a possibility for agricultural use, stating, “Drones were taking small samplings and extrapolating [but] that really didn’t take off, because if a chunk of land is not healthy, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the rest of the farm is unhealthy.” This viewpoint speaks to the inherent constraints in traditional drone technology for delivering qualitative and quantitative analysis for sites over vast areas.
Unlike many other startups, the company’s main focus is on the insurance industry. Its weekly, high-resolution imagery is an essential tool for monitoring and gauging the effects of major, large-scale, sudden onset disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes. Will Borthwick, an industry expert, noted the broader potential of Near Space’s technology, stating, “The idea of low-cost aerial imagery is valuable for many parties, not just insurance.”
Near Space’s ambition goes further than its present use cases. The business is planning to have its 7cm imagery covering 80% of the U.S. population twice per year. Such technology will be a powerful tool for industries that rely on high-resolution, aerial information. Even as they tackle this ambitious target, they are still focused on developing their technology and pursuing new markets.
This latest round of investment allows Near Space Labs to ramp up its R&D operations. It benefits the company by significantly increasing its ability to effectively operate. The funding round drew strong investor interest from those eager to tap into the power of advanced aerial imagery. With this financial support, Near Space is poised to dramatically increase its development. For Teledyne, the deal is a play to entrench its leadership position in high-resolution imaging solutions.