The NGA Accelerator, a St. Louis-based program designed to incubate geospatial technology startups, has launched its second cohort.
Eight startups, including one from St. Louis, have been selected for the accelerator program. The cohort began operations Tuesday.
The NGA Accelerator, launched in 2020, is partnership between the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The program is operated by operated by St. Louis-based startup accelerator Capital Innovator.
When the program launched, NGA said it would initially underwrite two cohorts. On Tuesday, officials with the program said the agency signed on to back a third, likely in late spring 2022, with applications to open later this fall.
“Following the success of the inaugural cohort, we’re excited to launch a second cohort to introduce eight additional companies to St. Louis’s rapidly growing geospatial sector,” said Jack Scatizzi, executive director of MTC. “The success of St. Louis’s geospatial sector will continue to positively impact the economic development outcomes for the entire state.”
The eight cohort companies were chosen from 208 applicants. The winning firms will receive $100,000 in non-dilutive grant funding and participate in a 13-week business development program. In-person components of the program will be held at Moonshot Labs, the NGA’s unclassified innovation center that recently opened inside the T-Rex downtown incubator.
“The accelerator is one of the ways NGA is pursuing open and unclassified innovation in the greater St. Louis region,”Josh White, an NGA analyst serving as "lead problem owner" for the cohort, said in a statement. “It provides NGA analysts with an opportunity to work with small businesses and startups to discover solutions that can directly impact our challenges.”
The latest cohort includes:
- AirWorks (Boston): The startup develops artificial intelligence software designed for architecture, engineering and construction firms to help them understand remote sensing data and more quickly advance plans for projects.
- Cambrio (Sudbury, Massachusetts): The company's technology is designed to help formulate data flows more quickly.
- CITYDATA.ai (San Francisco): Its software provides mobility data and analysis for local governments, businesses and research groups.
- Cognitive Space (Houston): The company’s artificial intelligence technology is designed to help organizations operate their satellites.
- Omniscient Labs (Stanford, California): Through the use of computer vision, this startup is developing a geospatial analytics platform.
- PixElement (Columbus, Ohio): The company uses imagery to create 3D models for businesses.
- Simerse (St. Louis): This local startup uses “synthetic data” designed to help customers to improve their artificial intelligence models.
- Vidrovr (New York): The startup uses machine learning and artificial intelligence technology to develop a multimedia search and analysis platform.
