Pixxel’s hyperspectral imaging platform is capable of diagnosing climate impacts, says Patel
Radical Ventures, a Toronto-based firm known for investing in entrepreneurs that use artificial intelligence to transform massive industries, led international investors in the US$25 million Series A funding of Pixxel, a leader in cutting-edge earth-imaging technology with offices in Bengaluru and Palo Alto, California.
Additional participation in Pixxel’s Series A came from Jordan Noone, Seraphim Space Investment Trust Plc of the United Kingdom, Lightspeed Partners of Menlo Park, California, Mumbai’s Blume Ventures and Sparta LLC from Stoneham, a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
The new funding enables Pixxel to expedite production of the world’s highest resolution hyperspectral satellite constellation and to offer industry AI-powered insights that discover, solve, and predict climate issues at a fraction of traditional satellite costs.
“We’re committed to providing a critical tool in the fight against climate change, helping researchers and on-the-ground responders detect and develop effective strategies to combat imminent environmental threats. This funding will not only assist us with this goal but will help us improve our software capabilities so that organizations of all sizes can access and understand this data,” Pixxel CEO and co-founder Awais Ahmed said on 28 Mar 2022.
“We’re excited to welcome these new investors as we work to address one of the most pressing issues facing our planet,” he added.
Pixxel is launching the first of its hyperspectral satellites as part of SpaceX’s upcoming April Transporter-4 mission. These earth-imaging microsatellites have 50x higher resolution than existing multispectral counterparts and unlike drone or land-based multispectral sensors, Pixxel will be able to capture data at global scale.
Traditional satellite images collect data in the visible light spectrum, limiting the end use cases; hyperspectral imaging collects data across 40x more wavelengths and can be used for a myriad of applications such as monitoring methane emissions, quantifying carbon sequestration, and monitoring disease outbreaks across cropland.
Pixxel’s platform unlocks a range of novel environment and sustainability use cases, offering advanced tools for agriculture, oil and gas, mining, and environmental agencies to analyze geospatial composites of the earth’s surface in real-time.
Pixxel also successfully retrieved its first hyperspectral satellite images from a camera that was launched last year with partners NanoAvionics and Dragonfly Aerospace. The photos capture the crop health of a Mexican farmland, showing previously indistinguishable soil nutrient content, early stress identifiers, water quality levels, and types of flora in the vegetation. The wealth of information in these images validate Pixxel’s revolutionary approach to spectroscopy for earth observation – detecting, monitoring, and analyzing phenomena beyond what’s possible with existing remote sensing solutions.
“We’re thrilled to be joining Awais, Kshitij, and the broader Pixxel team in their mission to build a health monitor for the planet. Pixxel’s hyperspectral imaging platform is capable of diagnosing climate impacts at global scale, providing granular insights to any business that benefits from understanding how the earth is changing,” said Parasvil Patel, Partner at Radical Ventures.
“By leveraging their proprietary sensor design, Pixxel is pushing the state of the art on imagery resolution. These images feed powerful, AI-powered predictive models that will be relevant to many industries.”
“Our investment in Pixxel reflects Seraphim’s increasing commitment and focus on companies that can provide the frequent and accurate data needed to create a sustainable future on earth. Pixxel sets itself apart with a novel imaging approach, making it able to retain a very high spatial and spectral resolution while using cost-effective satellites and compact satellites,” says Lewis Jones, Investment Manager at Seraphim Space.
“Pixxel’s constellation will be vital for applications such as monitoring the health of crops, measuring climate risks such as floods and famine, and detecting pipeline leaks. Seraphim’s investment is set to fuel the company’s next stage of growth and we’re excited to be part of something so revolutionary.”
Pixxel is building a health monitor for the planet by building and launching the world’s highest resolution hyperspectral imaging satellites. Co-founded by then 20 year olds Awais Ahmed and Kshitij Khandelwal in 2019, Pixxel has worked with notable organizations such as the Indian Space Research Organization, NASA JPL, and SpaceX among space stalwarts. Pixxel is backed by Lightspeed, Radical Ventures, Relativity’s Jordan Noone, Seraphim Capital, Ryan Johnson, Blume Ventures, Sparta LLC, growX ventures, Inventus Capital, and Omnivore VC among others.
Created by AI founders, Radical Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in people applying artificial intelligence to transform massive industries. Radical invests in enterprises shaping the future of how we live, work and play. From healthcare and financial services to infrastructure and manufacturing, Radical partners with entrepreneurs who understand the transformational power of AI.
Seraphim Space is the world’s leading specialist investor in SpaceTech and Manager of the London Stock Exchange listed Seraphim Space Investment Trust Plc. Powered by smart capital from leading Space companies and government agencies, we have a unique model combining investment funds and accelerators with Seraphim Space Accelerator. Across our activities we have now supported more than 70 SpaceTech companies, making us the most prolific SpaceTech investment group globally. Our portfolio includes 3 companies that have IPO’d on Nasdaq / NYSE: AST SpaceMobile (Nasdaq: ASTS), ARQIT (Nasdaq:ARQQ), Spire (NYSE:SPRR) and 1 which has announced their SPAC on NASDAQ D-Orbit. fiinews.com
