Which startups have raised the most funding in the earth observation market?
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The earth observation market includes satellite, aerial, drone, and geospatial intelligence startups that turn imagery and sensor data into useful decisions.
This list ranks the top earth observation startups by total cumulative funding raised, and we update it every month.
The market is led by satellite-first companies, especially SAR, RF intelligence, weather data, and geospatial analytics platforms.
A quick summary table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Most funded startup | ICEYE, with $1.1B raised |
| Second most funded startup | Chang Guang Satellite Technology, with $1.1B raised |
| Largest funding round | Chang Guang Satellite Technology, $698M growth equity / Series C+ |
| Median funding | $34M |
| Share of funding captured by the top 10 | About 64% |
| Median time since last round | About 40 months |
| Startups that raised funding in the last 12 months | 18 startups |
| Earth observation startups tracked | 88 startups |
| Active earth observation companies | 66 active startups |
| Public earth observation companies | 9 IPO-stage companies |
Top startups in the earth observation market ranked by total funding raised
Here is an updated table that ranks the top startups in the earth observation market based on the total amount of funding they have raised to date.
The table also includes the total number of funding rounds, the date and size of the latest round, the financing type (e.g. Series A, equity financing), key investors, the startup’s current status (active, IPO, acquired, or shut down), and a confidence score based on the data collected (we excluded startups with very low data confidence, to make sure everything is reliable).
| # | Startup | What They Do | Total Raised ($) | Total Rounds | Last Round Date | Last Round Amount ($) | Last Round Type | Key Investors | Current Stage | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ICEYE | All-weather SAR satellite intelligence | $1.1B | 8 | June 2026 | $520M | Series F | General Atlantic, Solidium, Tesi | Active | Strong |
| 2 | Chang Guang Satellite Technology | Jilin-1 satellite imaging constellation | $1.1B | 2 | July 2026 | $698M | Growth equity / Series C+ | Changfa Group, Lushi Investment, Chengtong Fund | Active | Partial |
| 3 | Planet Labs | Daily optical satellite imagery | $974M | 7 | December 2021 | $590M | SPAC / PIPE | dMY Technology Group IV, PIPE investors | IPO | Partial |
| 4 | HawkEye 360 | RF geolocation from space | $930M | 9 | May 2026 | $416M | IPO | Public-market investors | IPO | Strong |
| 5 | Spire Global | Satellite data and analytics | $474M | 6 | April 2026 | $70M | Post-IPO private placement | RRE Ventures, Promus Ventures, Luxembourg Future Fund | IPO | Strong |
| 6 | Tomorrow.io | AI weather satellite intelligence | $427M | 7 | February 2026 | $175M | Series F | Stonecourt Capital, HarbourVest Partners, Activate Capital | Active | Strong |
| 7 | Satellogic | Sub-meter optical satellite imagery | $339M | 3 | January 2022 | $262M | SPAC / PIPE | SoftBank SBLA, Cantor Fitzgerald, Liberty Strategic Capital | IPO | Partial |
| 8 | Synspective | Small SAR satellite analytics | $309M | 6 | December 2024 | $65M | IPO | Public-market investors | IPO | Partial |
| 9 | BlackSky | Real-time geospatial intelligence | $283M | 1 | September 2021 | $283M | SPAC / PIPE | Osprey Technology, PIPE investors | IPO | Low |
| 10 | Capella Space | High-resolution SAR imagery | $239M | 4 | January 2023 | $60M | Growth equity | U.S. Innovative Technology Fund | Acquired | Partial |
| 11 | Farmers Edge | Digital agriculture data platform | $160M | 3 | March 2021 | $100M | IPO | Mitsui, Kleiner Perkins, Osmington | Acquired | Partial |
| 12 | DroneDeploy | Drone mapping software platform | $142M | 7 | February 2021 | $50M | Series E | Energize Ventures, AirTree, Bessemer Venture Partners | Active | Strong |
| 13 | Muon Space | Mission-tailored satellite constellations | $136M | 4 | June 2025 | $45M | Series B1 equity | Congruent Ventures, Activate Capital, ArcTern Ventures | Active | Full |
| 14 | PrecisionHawk | Drone geospatial analytics | $136M | 5 | December 2019 | $32M | Series E | Millennium Technology Value Partners, Third Point Ventures, Eastward Capital Partners | Acquired | Strong |
| 15 | NorthStar Earth & Space | Space traffic monitoring satellites | $134M | 6 | July 2024 | Undisclosed | Shareholder financing | Telesystem Space, Investissement Québec, Luxembourg Future Fund | Active | Partial |
| 16 | Nearmap | High-resolution aerial imagery | $132M | 3 | September 2020 | $67M | Public equity raise | Institutional investors | Acquired | Partial |
| 17 | Unseenlabs | Maritime RF geolocation satellites | $125M | 3 | February 2024 | $92M | Series C | Supernova Invest, ISALT, UNEXO | Active | Full |
| 18 | Orbital Insight | Geospatial analytics software | $124M | 5 | November 2019 | $50M | Series D | Sequoia Capital, Clearvision Ventures, GV | Active | Strong |
| 19 | iQPS | SAR Earth observation satellites | $112M | 10 | March 2026 | $97M | Corporate minority / post-IPO equity | SKY Perfect JSAT, Mitsuuroko Group, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance | IPO | Low |
| 20 | Axelspace | Microsatellite Earth imagery platform | $107M | 4 | December 2023 | $44M | Series D | SMBC-GB Growth, Space Frontier Fund, Global Brain | Active | Strong |
| 21 | Umbra | Commercial high-resolution SAR data | $100M+ | 3 | March 2023 | Undisclosed | Series B | Nimble Partners, Star Castle Ventures, Champion Hill Ventures | Active | Low |
| 22 | Taranis | AI crop intelligence imagery | $100M | 5 | September 2022 | $40M | Series D | Inven Capital, Hitachi Ventures, La Maison Partners | Active | Full |
| 23 | Albedo | Ultra-high-resolution VLEO imagery | $97M | 4 | January 2024 | $35M | Series A-1 | Standard Investments, Booz Allen Ventures, Cubit Capital | Active | Strong |
| 24 | Pixxel | Hyperspectral Earth-imaging constellation | $95M | 5 | December 2024 | $24M | Series B extension | M&G Catalyst, Glade Brook, Google | Active | Strong |
| 25 | SatVu | Thermal intelligence from space | $95M | 5 | February 2026 | $41M | Series B | NATO Innovation Fund, British Business Bank, SPARX | Active | Strong |
| 26 | AiDash | Satellite AI for infrastructure resilience | $92M | 3 | April 2024 | $59M | Series C | Lightrock, Lightsmith Group, Marubeni | Active | Strong |
| 27 | Hydrosat | Thermal water-stress analytics | $90M | 4 | January 2026 | $60M | Series B | Hartree Partners, Subutai Capital Partners, Space 4 Earth | Active | Partial |
| 28 | Pachama | Forest carbon verification platform | $88M | 6 | December 2023 | $9M | Series B extension | Future Positive, Lowercarbon Capital, T.Capital | Active | Partial |
| 29 | Kayrros | Climate geospatial intelligence platform | $81M | 4 | March 2022 | $44M | Series C | French Tech Souveraineté, EIB, NewSpace Capital | Active | Partial |
| 30 | NCX | Forest carbon marketplace | $74M | 3 | March 2022 | $50M | Series B | Energize Ventures, J.P. Morgan, TIME Ventures | Active | Full |
| 31 | constellr | Thermal intelligence from space | $74M | 4 | February 2026 | $44M | Series A | Alpine Space Ventures, Lakestar, Bayern Kapital | Active | Partial |
| 32 | OroraTech | Wildfire intelligence satellites | $64M | 3 | May 2025 | $41M | Series B | BNP Paribas, Rabo Ventures, ECBF | Active | Strong |
| 33 | Regrow | Agriculture carbon MRV platform | $59M | 5 | March 2025 | Undisclosed | Venture / Series B extension | Galvanize Climate Solutions, Cargill, SE Ventures | Active | Partial |
| 34 | Descartes Labs | Geospatial AI analytics | $58M | 4 | October 2019 | $20M | Series B-2 bridge | Union Grove Venture Partners, Crosslink Capital, March Capital | Acquired | Strong |
| 35 | GHGSat | Greenhouse gas monitoring satellites | $55M+ | 4 | September 2025 | Undisclosed | Growth financing | Yaletown Partners, BDC Capital, Fonds de solidarité FTQ | Active | Partial |
| 36 | LiveEO | Satellite infrastructure monitoring analytics | $55M | 4 | June 2024 | $27M | Series B | NordicNinja, DTCF, MMC Ventures | Active | Partial |
| 37 | Ceres Imaging | Aerial crop spectral analytics | $51M | 3 | September 2021 | $23M | Series C | XTX Ventures, REMUS Capital, Insight Partners | Active | Strong |
| 38 | Arturo | AI property intelligence | $47M | 3 | September 2023 | $14M | Series B-II | Crosslink Capital, Atlantic Bridge, IAG Firemark Ventures | Active | Partial |
| 39 | zestyAI | Property risk analytics | $46M | 2 | July 2022 | $33M | Series B | Centana Growth Partners, Brex, Blamar | Active | Full |
| 40 | Urban Sky | Stratospheric imaging balloons | $44M | 3 | January 2025 | $30M | Series B | Altos Ventures, New Legacy Ventures, Lerer Hippeau | Active | Full |
| 41 | Delair | Industrial drone systems | $43M | 3 | September 2018 | $25M | Series B | Intel Capital, Andromède, Bpifrance | Active | Partial |
| 42 | Cervest | Climate risk intelligence | $36M | 3 | May 2021 | $30M | Series A | Draper Esprit, Lowercarbon Capital, TIME Ventures | Acquired | Partial |
| 43 | Array Labs | 3D radar satellite imaging | $35M | 6 | January 2026 | $20M | Series A | Catapult Ventures, Washington Harbour Partners, Kompas VC | Active | Strong |
| 44 | HySpecIQ | Hyperspectral geospatial intelligence | $35M | 2 | September 2021 | $20M | Series B | Peter Thiel, TAP Advisors | Active | Partial |
| 45 | Near Space Labs | Stratospheric aerial imagery | $33M | 2 | April 2025 | $20M | Series B | Bold Capital Partners, USAA, Climate Capital | Active | Partial |
| 46 | Orbital Sidekick | Hyperspectral monitoring satellites | $30M | 4 | January 2023 | $10M | Strategic equity | Energy Innovation Capital, Williams, ONEOK | Active | Partial |
| 47 | Ursa Space Systems | SAR intelligence analytics | $29M+ | 3+ | March 2022 | $16M | Series C first close | Dorilton Ventures, RRE Ventures, Paladin Capital Group | Active | Low |
| 48 | SatSure | Satellite decision intelligence platform | $29M | 5 | September 2025 | $2M | Series A extension | Baring PE India, Promus Ventures, Omidyar Network India | Active | Partial |
| 49 | SkyWatch | Satellite data distribution infrastructure | $28M | 4 | June 2021 | $17M | Series B | Drive Capital, Bullpen Capital, Space Capital | Active | Partial |
| 50 | SkyFi | Satellite imagery marketplace | $27M | 3 | January 2026 | $13M | Series A | Buoyant Ventures, IronGate Capital Advisors, DNV Ventures | Active | Strong |
| 51 | Aerobotics | Orchard drone AI analytics | $27M | 4 | December 2020 | $17M | Series B | Naspers Foundry, FMO, Cathay AfricInvest | Active | Strong |
| 52 | Prospera Technologies | AI crop monitoring platform | $26M | 3 | July 2017 | $15M | Series B | Qualcomm Ventures, Cisco Investments, Bessemer | Acquired | Partial |
| 53 | Preligens | Defense satellite imagery AI | $24M | 1 | November 2020 | $24M | Series A | Ace Management, Definvest, 360 Capital | Acquired | Strong |
| 54 | Kuva Space | Hyperspectral microsatellite analytics | $23M | 2 | November 2023 | $18M | Series A | Voima Ventures, Nordic FoodTech VC, Earth VC | Active | Strong |
| 55 | Chloris Geospatial | Forest carbon satellite monitoring | $21M | 4 | July 2025 | $9M | Series A | Future Energy Ventures, AXA IM Alts, At One Ventures | Active | Partial |
| 56 | GalaxEye | Multi-sensor EO satellites | $18M | 4 | March 2026 | $5M | Series A extension | Speciale Invest, Faad Capital, Rainmatter | Active | Partial |
| 57 | Floodbase | Flood risk intelligence for insurance | $17M | 3 | February 2025 | $5M | Venture / Early-stage | Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Pulse Fund | Active | Partial |
| 58 | PlanetWatchers | SAR crop monitoring | $16M | 3 | September 2022 | $11M | Series A | Seraphim Space, Creative Ventures, BIG Capital | Active | Strong |
| 59 | Wyvern | Hyperspectral imagery data | $16M | 3 | October 2024 | $6M | Strategic equity | Squadra Ventures, Uncork Capital, Y Combinator | Active | Partial |
| 60 | Gamaya | Hyperspectral crop intelligence | $16M | 3 | June 2019 | $12M | Series B | Mahindra, ICOS Capital, VI Partners | Active | Strong |
| 61 | Kleos Space | RF reconnaissance from space | $15M | 4 | January 2023 | $2M | Placement | Hunter Capital Advisors, Perennial, Thorney | IPO | Low |
| 62 | RS Metrics | Satellite climate asset risk data | $14M | 2 | May 2023 | $5M | Series B | Undisclosed | Active | Partial |
| 63 | SynMax | Satellite intelligence for maritime energy | $13M | 1 | January 2024 | $13M | Venture / Seed-equivalent | Bill Perkins, Alex Moore | Active | Partial |
| 64 | EOI Space | VLEO ultra-high-resolution imagery | $11M | 2 | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | Unattributed | Undisclosed | Active | Low |
| 65 | Rezatec | Geospatial analytics for infrastructure assets | $11M | 3 | February 2020 | $7M | Growth / Series A-equivalent | Gresham House Ventures | Acquired | Partial |
| 66 | Picterra | Geospatial AI detection platform | $10M | 2 | April 2022 | $7M | Series A | VI Partners, ACE Ventures, Atlantic Labs | Active | Full |
| 67 | Earth Blox | Nature-risk intelligence platform | $9M | 2 | March 2026 | $8M | Growth equity | PXN Ventures, Scottish Enterprise, Archangels | Active | Strong |
| 68 | SLANTRANGE | Drone crop sensing analytics | $9M | 3 | April 2016 | $5M | Series A | The Investor Group, Motus Ventures | Acquired | Partial |
| 69 | PierSight | Maritime SAR surveillance satellites | $8M | 3 | May 2025 | $1M | Seed extension | Alpha Wave Global, Elevation Capital, All In Capital | Active | Strong |
| 70 | OneSoil | Satellite precision farming tools | $8M | 3 | June 2026 | $1M | Follow-on | Yury Melnichek, Almaz Capital, PortfoLion | Active | Strong |
| 71 | Amini | African climate data platform | $6M | 2 | November 2023 | $4M | Seed | Salesforce Ventures, Female Founders Fund, Satgana | Active | Full |
| 72 | Impact Observatory | AI global land monitoring maps | $6M | 1 | March 2023 | $6M | Seed | Esri International | Active | Strong |
| 73 | SpaceKnow | Satellite economic intelligence analytics | $5M | 1 | February 2017 | $5M | Series A | Reflex Capital, BlueYard, OTB Ventures | Active | Strong |
| 74 | Satelytics | Geospatial industrial monitoring alerts | $5M | 1 | June 2020 | $5M | Series A | BP Ventures, North Coast Ventures | Active | Full |
| 75 | Geospatial Insight | Satellite imagery analytics | $5M | 3 | April 2018 | $5M | Series B | Foresight Williams, Midven, Future Planet Capital | Active | Partial |
| 76 | Esper Satellite Imagery | Hyperspectral mineral detection satellites | $4M | 3 | March 2025 | $3M | Seed | Paspalis Capital, Hejaz, Investible | Active | Partial |
| 77 | Arlula | Satellite imagery access platform | $4M | 3 | March 2026 | $2M | Seed / venture | Paspalis Capital, Main Sequence, Startmate | Active | Partial |
| 78 | SATIM | SAR imagery AI analytics | $3M | 4 | September 2024 | Undisclosed | Internal round | Balnord, Cultivation Capital | Active | Partial |
| 79 | Bird.i | Satellite imagery intelligence | $3M | 1 | November 2017 | $3M | Seed / Venture | Accelerated Digital Ventures, Concrete VC, Frontline Ventures | Acquired | Strong |
| 80 | TellusLabs | Satellite crop intelligence | $3M | 1 | January 2017 | $3M | Seed | IA Ventures, Hyperplane, Founder Collective | Acquired | Full |
| 81 | SI Imaging Services | Satellite imagery distribution services | $2M | 1 | November 2019 | $2M | Seed VC | Undisclosed | Active | Low |
| 82 | Vultus | Satellite fertilizer analytics | $2M | 3 | May 2022 | $1M | IPO | Almi Invest, public investors | IPO | Low |
| 83 | Satelligence | Satellite deforestation monitoring | $2M | 1 | November 2020 | $2M | Seed | 4impact | Active | Strong |
| 84 | KappaZeta | Radar crop monitoring analytics | $1M | 1 | September 2023 | $1M | Seed / additional funding | Ahti Heinla, Toomas Kams, HD Forest | Active | Strong |
| 85 | Kermap | AI satellite analytics | $1M | 1 | November 2022 | $1M | Seed / first fundraising | Sodero Gestion, Earthworm Foundation | Active | Partial |
| 86 | SpaceSense | Satellite imagery AI APIs | $1M | 1 | October 2020 | $1M | Seed | Techmind, Space Ventures Investors, Marc Batty | Active | Full |
| 87 | Terrabotics | 3D terrain satellite analytics | $1M | 1 | November 2018 | $1M | Pre-seed | AI Seed, Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub | Active | Low |
| 88 | Bluefield Technologies | Methane satellite monitoring | $0M | 1 | October 2017 | $0M | Seed | Lumia Capital, Pipeline Capital Partners | Shutdown | Full |
Key funding trends in the earth observation market
Insights
- The top 10 earth observation startups captured about 64% of all tracked funding, showing how much capital is concentrated in satellite infrastructure and high-value data platforms.
- SAR and RF intelligence companies dominate the upper end of the ranking, with ICEYE, HawkEye 360, Capella Space, Synspective, Umbra, and Unseenlabs forming a large defense and monitoring cluster.
- Climate and resilience use cases are becoming a major investment theme, with Tomorrow.io, SatVu, Hydrosat, constellr, OroraTech, GHGSat, and AiDash all attracting meaningful capital.
- Earth observation software companies can scale with less capital than constellation operators, as AiDash, zestyAI, NCX, Orbital Insight, and Kayrros show strong funding without owning large satellite fleets.
- Agriculture imagery remains an important niche, but the funding base is smaller, with Taranis, Ceres Imaging, Aerobotics, Gamaya, and OneSoil far below the largest satellite-first platforms.
- Recent funding activity is still healthy, with 18 startups raising capital in the last 12 months, especially across satellite intelligence, thermal imagery, climate monitoring, and data-access platforms.
- Marketplace and satellite data access models remain comparatively underfunded, with SkyFi, SkyWatch, Picterra, and SpaceKnow raising far less than the companies building and operating constellations.
A few word about our methodology
As you can see, we built a database that ranks startups in the earth observation market based on their total cumulative fundraising. To create this ranking, we reviewed many sources and cross-checked information across multiple places.
Whenever possible, we prioritized official company communications, since they are the most reliable source for funding amounts. When those were not available, we relied on reputable industry sources such as TechCrunch, Crunchbase, Financial Times or Forbes (to name a few).
We excluded random blogs, unverified websites, and any sources that could not be validated.
When funding rounds were announced in other currencies such as euros, Swiss francs, Singapore dollars, Australian dollars, or rupees, we converted them into approximate USD equivalents for consistency.
Sometimes different sources report slightly different numbers, or the exact round size is not fully disclosed. In those cases, we flag the uncertainty and assign a confidence label to each startup, visible in the last column.
Here is what they mean.
Full confidence: The company’s equity fundraising history can be reconstructed completely from public sources. The rounds, dates, amounts, and key investors are clearly identified, with no meaningful gaps.
Strong confidence: The fundraising history is largely complete and reliable. There may be a small missing detail, such as incomplete investor information or a minor round with limited data, but the overall record is clear.
Partial confidence: The main fundraising rounds can be identified, but the record is incomplete or somewhat mixed. Some rounds may be missing or certain funding events may be difficult to separate clearly.
Low confidence: Public information is too limited, inconsistent, or ambiguous to reliably reconstruct the company’s equity fundraising history.
When the confidence level is too low, we take a conservative approach and exclude the company from the ranking. We don’t want to include data that cannot be reliably verified.
This reflects how we conduct all our research in the earth observation market.
In a world where LLMs hallucinate and unreliable information is everywhere, our goal is simple: provide data you can trust.
If you want the full detail on a specific calculation, feel free to contact us and we will gladly explain.
Finally, know that we update the dataset once per month, so come back here if you need fresh information.
Related blog posts
- What are the fundraising trends in the earth observation market?
- Which startups are the most valued in the earth observation market?
- How strong is fundraising in the earth observation market right now?
- A complete list of funding deals in the earth observation market
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