A Denver-based startup mapping the planet from a balloon raised $9.75 million.
Rather than capturing images of the Earth from a drone or satellite, Urban Sky operates in the middle ground, technically called the stratosphere.
The startup gathers data about the Earth by capturing images from a reusable micro balloon that operates above commercial airspace in the stratosphere, typically at an altitude between 55,000 feet and 75,000 feet. Attached to the micro balloon is an imaging payload designed and built by Urban Sky. The imaging payload weighs less than 6 pounds and can capture 10-centimeter resolution images.
Urban Sky CEO and co-founder Andrew Antonio said the company operates in the middle ground physically and from a cost standpoint. Rather than paying to contract with a satellite company to gather images and data about the Earth, Urban Sky’s balloon offers a more affordable solution.
“In short, we map the planet. We capture very high-resolution pictures of the Earth and we do that in a way that’s a lot higher resolution, but a lot more affordable than satellite-based imaging systems,” Antonio said. “That’s sort of our reason for existing is creating better, more frequently updated maps of planet Earth so that we can manage the planet better as people.”
Urban Sky could design balloons to operate at lower altitude levels — like a typical party balloon that floats away if not tethered down — or at higher altitudes, but Antonio said this altitude is the right level because it offers “highly predictable and controllable steering winds.”
“We found this sweet spot where we get high enough resolution for what our customers want with broad area enough imaging where we get very large swathes of imagery like a satellite,” Antonio said.
Since its founding in July 2019, Urban Sky has worked with anyone who wants to use high-resolution aerial imagery. Traditionally, that includes utilities and oil and gas industries, insurance companies and environmental monitoring agencies. The startup previously worked with Denver Water to determine where to plant new trees along the South Platte River to reduce sheetwash and retain sediment along the riverbank.
Capturing images is just the beginning for Urban Sky. Antonio said he envisions the company becoming the SpaceX of the stratosphere.
Urban Sky has tested its reusable balloons for rapidly deployable voice network emergency services during disasters by attaching radios to the base of the balloon rather than an imaging payload.
The startup has also built a payload for early wildfire detection. This product is not yet on the market but Antonio said it uses a long-wave infrared camera to offer real-time data about a potential wildfire in a given area.
Similar to satellites, which can serve for communication purposes or gather data about the weather, Urban Sky has the same capabilities.
“We’re just building the stratospheric satellite layer, and our technology can take whatever payload somebody might want,” Antonio said. “That’s our big idea is how do we create the type of robust economy in the stratosphere in the same way that SpaceX did and is doing in space right now.”
Urban Sky’s recent $9.75 million Series A round will go toward expanding operations into 15 states. The startup currently operates in Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. Antonio said operations in these states are infrequent but the funding will allow it to become more routinely available.
The startup also plans to roughly double its 15-person team within the next year. It’s currently hiring aerospace, mechanical, electrical, manufacturing and software engineers, in addition to go-to-market sales and marketing positions. It will also hire additional full-time operators based in Colorado and part-time, remote operators.
The Series A funding was co-led by New Legacy Ventures, Lerer Hippeau and Lavrock Ventures. Catapult Ventures, TenOneTen and Union Labs VC participated in this round as did Denver Angels’ new fund DA Ventures.
The stratospheric technology and remote sensing startup has raised approximately $14.85 million to date, including a $4.1 million seed round in August 2021.
“We invest in teams first and the leadership of Urban Sky has extraordinary experience [at] a previous startup in a related industry, have deep connections in the Colorado market ... and they have made impressive progress with their initial funding,” David Gold, founder and managing director of DA Ventures, said in an email to Colorado Inno. “In addition, their technology provides unique competitive advantages for delivering disruptive imaging capabilities in a very large addressable market that are difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with different platforms and they can do so at extremely competitive costs.”
Prior to Urban Sky, Antonio and co-founder and CTO Jared Leidich worked at World View, a stratospheric space tourism company. There, Antonio led the company’s sales and marketing efforts, and Leidich was a lead mechanical engineer and head of World View’s design team.
