London-based startup SatVu, specializing in thermal intelligence for monitoring operational activity and infrastructure from space, has raised £30 million, taking its total equity funding to £60 million as it transitions from a single-satellite demonstration to a full multi-satellite constellation, as Vestbee was informed.
- Established in 2016 by Anthony Baker and Tobias Reinicke, SatVu develops and operates high-resolution thermal imaging satellites that capture Earth’s heat emissions at 3.5-metre resolution, day and night.
- The company’s HotSat constellation is designed to deliver persistent, round-the-clock monitoring of operational activity, infrastructure performance, industrial processes, and urban heat, providing intelligence that optical and lower-resolution thermal sensors cannot.
- SatVu’s satellites use compact infrared sensors to collect data globally, which is then processed into analytical imagery and short video, enabling detection of activity inside and around buildings, industrial output, power generation, oil storage, and environmental changes. The firm is scaling from a single demonstration satellite, HotSat-1, to a multi-satellite constellation with HotSat-2 through HotSat-6 planned for deployment by 2026, targeting 10 to 20 revisits per day.
Details of the deal
- The fresh funding round was backed by from the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), British Business Bank, Space Frontiers Fund II (SPARX), Presto Tech Horizons, and existing investors including Molten Ventures, Adara Ventures, Ridgeline Ventures, NOA, Lockheed Martin, Seraphim Space Fund and Stellar Ventures.
"We are pleased to support SatVu as it revolutionises the earth observation market, delivering critical insights to the security, finance and commodities sectors to help safeguard defence and economic activity across the Alliance," claims Trisha Saxena, Senior Associate at the NATO Innovation Fund.
- SatVu plans to use the fresh capital to accelerate launches and build out its multi-satellite thermal imaging constellation, enabling persistent, round-the-clock “activity intelligence” for government and defence customers while scaling commercial operations.
