Space2Earth Accelerator announces first batch

For its very first cohort Space2Earth Accelerator, the team led by Gaetan Petit and Nina Walker has selected 19 top-notch space startups & scale ups, of which the large majority works with Earth Observation applications. Three startups have their main office in Switzerland (Astrocast, Picterra, UrbanDataLab), one has an office in Switzerland and Belgium (Aerospacelab) and one (Aquascope) is planning to set up an office soon in canton Vaud.

Here are the selected startups coming from 11 countries:

• Astrocast (Switzerland) delivers a comprehensive, end-to-end, direct-to-orbit SatIoT Service to expand IoT to remote regions of the world. We provide the necessary chipset (Satellite modem) and data-plans to device manufac- turers, OEMS, System Integrators, Solution Providers etc who integrate our communication modules into their devices and machines to implement global satellite IoT connectivity to their solutions.
• Picterra (Switzerland) is collaborative end-to-end ML platform to train, deploy and manage your own algorithms for geospatial analysis.
• UrbanDataLab (Switzerland) is a spin-off of ETH that supports professionals across multiple industries to easily apply artificial location intelligence. Our proprietary analysis platform integrates a large set of unique and scalable geodata and combines it with the latest methods of predictive analysis (machine learning). This enables its customers to easily understand patterns in data and make better location decisions, e.g. customer segmentation, site planning or revenue predictions.
• Aquascope (UK & Switzerland) provides timely water quantity and quality metrics to enable industry and governments to understand water risks and implement measurable, value driven solutions for climate mitigation and adaption
• Aerospacelab (Belgium & Switzerland) is a Belgian company founded in 2018 by Benoit Deper, currently employing more than 70 people. With two main constellations in the progress, Aerospacelab ambitions to enhance efficiency across various markets, by making geospatial intelligence affordable and actionable.  Aerospacelab ambitions to be the first vertically integrated agile aerospace company fusing geospatial data from multiple sensors.
• 4 Earth Intelligence (UK) is transforming the way organizations obtain value through geospatial analytics and intelligence, using space data for the betterment of humans and the planet. 4EI dedicated team of industry leading experts in earth observation, finance, offshore renewables, engineering and technology, turn satellite data and imagery into intelligence and actionable insight by leveraging cutting edge technology such as remote sensing and artificial intelligence. 
• Agricolus (Italy) provides its customers with a cloud applications ecosystem for precision farming with multiple purposes: disease awareness and forecasts, crop monitoring, decision support system for treatments and fertilizers, farm management and “end to end” traceability bringing valuable information to final users. 
• CarbonSpaceTech (Ireland) is developing a satellite-powered platform that offers an accurate and cost-effective tool for monitoring emissions from different land use. It aims at bringing a new level of transparency in the supply chains of food and lumber industries, as well as unleashing the potential of nature-based carbon removal projects.
• ConstellR (Germany) provides the fundamental global data for smart water monitoring for agriculture; its infrared monitoring satellites can identify changes in crop health days to weeks before they become visible, en- abling farmers to react early to and mitigate for potential crop failure or damage.
• GlobeEye (France) provides Earth Observation applications for Sustainable Finance. Specifically, it develops next generation sustainability (ESG) metrics combining satellite data with a vast range of alternative and observational data, leveraging state-of-the-art artificial intelligence. GlobeEye supports the transition towards sustainable investment decisions, increasing the overall economic and social efficiency of global capital allocation.
• Hydrosat (Luxembourg) is a geospatial data and analytics company, which is building a thermal-infrared small-satellite constellation in support of its agricultural and disaster management products. Hydrosat also uses data from NASA and ESA Earth observation satellites. 
• IBISA (Luxembourg) is an InsurTech building and managing climate insurance solutions for agriculture to bring resilience to farmers and businesses.
• MAPP.it (Portugal) is global, subscription-based, app that uses AI, satellite and drone data to generate insights for farmers to take action without expert knowledge. 
• OroraTech (Germany) has developed the first global wildfire intelligence service, including risk assessment, early detection, real-time monitoring, and damage analysis from space through a constellation of small satellites.
• Satellite Vu (UK) is launching a constellation of thermal satellites with a unique high-resolution sensor that can detect heat emissions from any structure in the planet. 
• Space Intelligence (UK) provides trusted information to support Nature Based Solutions, and environmental KPIs, globally. The company creates these datasets using satellite data and AI, and expert knowledge at the inter- section of big data analytics and ecology.
• Spottitt (UK, Poland) combines satellite images, machine learning and an easy-to-use interface to offer low risk and low-cost asset inspection solutions to monitor infrastructure at scale.
• Survey Intelligence (The Netherlands) is specialized in analyzing and interpreting ground movement. It provides the missing link between Earth Observation data and geology. By detecting and understanding the stress on infrastructure caused by ground movement, it allows its customers to make timely decisions and take appropriate actions. 
• Trade in Space (UK) pioneered the development of Satellite Activated Smart Contracts in 2019. Focusing on the coffee farming sector, it developed proprietary AI techniques to map coffee more accurately than any other commercially available technology. 

More detailed information is available is Space2Earth startup booklet.

Targeting the booming new space market

With the geographic distribution of the events (3 in Switzerland, 1 in the UK), Space2Earth aims to attract new space startups to Switzerland and to link them to the international market. The beginning of the Space2Earth Accelerator programme was moved, due to the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic. The team will kick it off in February 2022 with an online workshop and run the first in-person event on 16th March 2022.

(Press release / ES)