Black Cape, a startup focused on tailoring artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions for national security, emerged from stealth mode Wednesday. In its announcement, the Arlington, Va.- and Austin, Texas-based company talked up plans to “modernize the way that Federal agencies conduct intelligence analysis.”
The company is led by co-CEOs Al Di Leonardo and Abe Usher. The pair were previously involved in the Radiant Group and HumanGeo, two D.C. area data analytics companies with geospatial angles. The two companies were eventually sold off to spatial imagery giant DigitalGlobe.
“There is a huge gap between general purpose artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) capabilities developed in a research environment, and capabilities that are tailored to a specific mission need,” Usher told DC Inno in an email.
Black Cape plans to fill that gap by bringing in the team’s expertise in geospatial data from past ventures, as well as customizing AI and ML solutions for its customers’ particular needs, Usher said. The company currently has multiple customers in the U.S. government, but Usher declined to provide specific details.
The company currently has three products: The Black Cape Knowledge Graph, WorldPixel8 and STARbase, all use AI, ML and automation to tackle different geospatial-related problems.
Although it now has a laser focus on national security solutions, Black Cape may at some point foray into cybersecurity, Usher said, “which cuts across national security and commercial security concerns.”
Black Cape works out of a coworking space in Ballston, and it noted that it recently moved to a bigger space within the building after growing out of its original quarters. Usher said that a “small but growing team” in Austin is hoping to identify new talent and engage with arms of the federal government there, like Army Futures Command.
