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Hydrosat Inc.

Category: AI in Agriculture

Hydrosat provides high-resolution thermal satellite imagery and AI-powered analytics to address challenges in food security, water management, and public safety. Hydrosat Inc. was founded in 2017. The company is led by Pieter Fossel. Based in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (HQ); Washington, D.C., USA (US office). Team size: 51-100. Total funding raised: ~$108M total (Seed + Series A + Series B + grants). Latest round: Seed Extension ($10M, Nov 2021 led by OTB Ventures). Key investors include ["Hartree Partners","Subutai Capital Partners","Space 4 Earth","Truffle Capital","Luxembourg Future Fund","OTB Ventures","Blue Bear Capital","Statkraft Ventures","Cultivation Capital","Santa Barbara Venture Partners"].

Founded
2017
Headquarters
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (HQ); Washington, D.C., USA (US office)
Team size
51-100
Total funding
~$108M total (Seed + Series A + Series B + grants)

Value proposition

To deliver actionable insights from thermal satellite data that enable customers to optimize irrigation, improve crop yields, manage water resources efficiently, and predict droughts and wildfires.

Products and solutions

["IrriWatch (farm-level irrigation optimization platform)","Field-level and regional-level analytics subscriptions","Data API for accessing thermal imagery and insights","Water productivity mapping tools"]

Unique value

Their uniqueness lies in their focus on providing high-resolution, high-frequency thermal infrared satellite data. This data serves as a direct and early indicator of water stress in plants and landscapes, a capability not readily available from other common satellite data sources.

Target customer

Governments, agricultural businesses, farmers, and institutions involved in water resource management and climate risk assessment.

Industries served

["Agriculture","Government","Environmental Monitoring","Public Safety","Climate Tech"]

Technology advantage

A key advantage is their vertically integrated approach. They are developing their own satellite constellation for proprietary data collection (starting with VanZyl-1) and combining it with advanced AI and proprietary algorithms to translate raw thermal data into actionable, industry-specific analytics and solutions.

How they differentiate

Hydrosat differentiates itself by focusing on high-resolution thermal infrared imagery to provide unique insights into water stress, crop health, and environmental monitoring. They are building a proprietary constellation of satellites equipped with thermal sensors and leveraging AI-powered analytics to deliver actionable data.

Main competitors

["Planet","Spire","constellr"]

Key partnerships

["European Space Agency (ESA)","National Science Foundation (NSF) Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine","Luxembourg Space Agency","Luxembourg Institute of Science & Technology (LIST)","SNT (Centre for Security, Reliability, and Trust)","Irritec Mexico","Rhama Analysis","Commercial contracts with agricultural companies in North America, Latin America, Europe, Central Asia, MENA, and India"]

Notable customers

["NOAA","NRO","US Air Force","US Space Force","European Space Agency (ESA)","Bayer","SupPlant","Nutradrip"]

Major milestones

["Successful launch of VanZyl-1 (2024) and VanZyl-2 (2025) satellites.","Secured $1.9M US Air Force contract (Oct 2024) and NRO Stage II contract (Jul 2025).","Acquired IrriWatch (2023).","Raised $60M Series B at ~$180M valuation (Jan 2026).","Awarded major ESA contract for water productivity mapping (Aug 2025).","Secured multi-year water monitoring contract in Madera County (Mar 2026).","Luxembourg Future Fund investment (Sep 2025)."]

Growth metrics

Specific growth metrics such as revenue and user numbers are not publicly available.

Market positioning

Hydrosat is positioned as a climate-tech company that provides critical data and analytics for agriculture, water management, and food security. They serve both government and commercial sectors, with a focus on applications that require monitoring of thermal signatures and water usage.

Geographic focus

Hydrosat has a global focus, with notable contracts and operations in both North America (with agencies like the US Air Force and NOAA) and Europe (with the European Space Agency). Their satellite-based technology allows them to serve customers worldwide.

Patents and IP

Information on specific patents or IP is not publicly detailed in the search results.

About Pieter Fossel

Experience includes roles at BCG and Airbus.

Official website: