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Tuesday 22/8
COMPANY
HEO Robotics
HEO Robotics, an Australian-based start-up, is the world’s first in-orbit satellite inspection service. It enables non-Earth imagery and delivers analytics that help businesses, governments and defence understand objects in space – such as satellites and space junk. The company’s founders say it is built on the mission that “space should be transparent”. HEO has clients in government and defence and commercial customers in Australia, USA, and UK.
THE FOUNDERS
CEO Dr William Crowe and CTO Dr Hiranya Jayakody founded the company in 2016 while completing their PhDs. While studying they discovered the huge need to monitor space debris and inspect damaged satellites.
“Our mission has always been to make space activities easier for our customers by leveraging technology, and with the support of AirTree Ventures, we are well-equipped to push the boundaries of what’s possible in non-Earth imagery and space utilisation.”
Dr William Crowe, CEO HEO Robotics
THE DEAL
$12 million series A round led by AirTree Ventures alongside Salus Ventures.
James Cameron, Partner at AirTree says HEO is “a bit of a rarity in the space sector in Australia–not only are they the first company globally to have built these space-imagery capabilities, they’ve also quickly unlocked material revenue streams and grown in a capital-efficient way that many other space technology businesses cannot”.
“It’s early days for Will, Hiranya and the HEO team, but they’ve got the right mix of deep technical expertise, ambition and adaptability to pioneer non-Earth imaging that will unlock our understanding of objects in the space environment,” Cameron says.
