The NGA Accelerator, a St. Louis-based program designed to incubate geospatial technology startups, has unveiled its newest cohort.
Eight startups, including one from St. Louis, have been chosen for the accelerator program’s third iteration. The eight companies receive $100,000 in non-dilutive funding and will participate in a 13-week accelerator that started Monday. The startups selected have developed a wide range of geospatial technology applications, including new navigation technology for the military, devices to generate data from under water and blockchain technology.
The NGA Accelerator, launched in 2020, is a partnership between the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The program is operated by St. Louis-based startup accelerator Capital Innovators. The accelerator selected startups that "focus on government and industry opportunities in alignment with the NGA's technology focus areas, including data management and artificial intelligence."
As part of the accelerator program, companies also receive office space in St. Louis, mentoring from NGA employees and networking opportunities. The accelerator’s in-person programming will be housed at Moonshot Labs, the NGA’s unclassified innovation center inside the T-Rex downtown incubator.
“NGA remains committed to leveraging commercial technologies by engaging companies with innovative solutions that can help us meet our mission,” said Nicole Washington, senior associate for entrepreneurship and chief transformation officer for NGA Research. “Thanks to our partnership with MTC, Capital Innovators has created an accelerator that allows us to expose these companies to geospatial problem sets while also connecting them to a host of opportunities the agency has for potential industry engagement and collaboration.”
The eight companies, selected from a pool of more than 225 applicants, in the NGA Accelerator’s third cohort include:
Chooch Intelligence Technologies (San Mateo, California): The startup has developed an artificial intelligence image and video analytics platform that is designed to offer computer vision. It says its technology can be used by customers to help with workplace safety, satellite image analysis and image quality control.
Fraym (Arlington, Virginia): Fraym uses technology to provide “hyperlocal population data” designed to help companies, nonprofits and governments understand population trends and behaviors.
Notoros Inc. (St. Louis): This local startup has developed blockchain technology it says helps users store data that is “easy to find and easy to use” compared to competitors.
Pandata Tech (Houston): Pandata Tech works with government agencies and companies to help them better understand their data and how to optimize the use of it in their operations.
SCOUT Inc. (Alexandria, Virginia): The startup is using technology to develop products and services that can be used in space. It says its products and services aim to “allow spacecraft to see and understand things around them.”
Skyline Nav AI Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts): Skyline has created navigation technology designed to help the military and companies direct themselves when they can’t access GPS technology.
TCarta Marine LLC (Denver): TCarta Marine uses geospatial technology to data and intelligence for locations under water.
Terradepth Inc. (Austin): The startup has created “autonomous undersea vehicle systems” to provide geospatial data under water. The startup, which was named a 2022 Startup to Watch by Austin Inno, a sister publication of St. Louis Inno, describes itself as an "ocean-data-as-a-service."
