Each month as part of StartHub’s Startups to Watch Program we connect with the winning company to learn more about them. Our December Startup to Watch is Analytical Space, a Boston-based satellite communications startup. Recently we had the pleasure of interviewing Justin Oliveira, Co-Founder, President and CEO of Analytical Space. Here’s what we learned:
StartHub: Tell us about your company. What does Analytical Space do?
Every few hours, one Library of Congress worth of data is created on orbit by satellite operators. The cost to get this data from the satellite to the ground for use is excessive and the process is growing more complex. Analytical Space is creating the first commercial in-orbit connectivity platform to enable remote sensing and other satellite operators. Our satellite relay constellation allows operators the ability to seamlessly offload significantly more data at fraction of the costs. We’re like in-space Wi-Fi hotspots for satellites – our network will give them high-throughout, affordable connectivity to the ground.
StartHub: What is your background?
Well I grew up in Shirley, MA. My co-founder Dan Nevius and I are both wrapping up our MBAs at Harvard Business School. Prior to school I spent 8 years at NASA, first as an engineer then as a strategist at headquarters. I then went to work at the White House overseeing the Human Spaceflight and Aeronautics Research programs at the Office Management and Budget. It was through my coworkers there that Dan and I got introduced – he had done an internship there a few years prior. Dan studied at Harvard College and after graduating he went to grad school in the UK researching 3D printing on the Moon. After Cambridge, Dan did a short stint in consulting with BCG before joining Planetary Resources as their Director of Special Projects.
StartHub: How did you come up with the idea for Analytical Space? Who is your target customer?
In both our last jobs we experienced firsthand the issues created by a lack of connectivity in space. NASA has tons of operating missions and an ability to create almost an infinite amount of data; on the commercial side, remote sensing companies have to make money and the instruments that generate rich, monetizable data by no surprise create a lot of data. All this data needs to get from space to the ground where it can be put to work and have an impact. These satellite platforms are not sitting fixed in the sky like GPS and DIRECTV satellites – they orbit the earth every 90 minutes or so. Because they’re moving relative to the ground, these satellite systems only get a couple hours per day (at best) of connectivity with the ground to offload the data. And when they do, the costs can be exorbitantly high.
I came up with the original idea for Analytical Space while working at the White House. I had become more and more perceptive of these challenges faced by satellite operators while there. Eventually I thought of the idea of using micro-satellites and integrating some of the newer technologies we developed into the platform. When I got to Harvard Business School, I sought out people that could help shoot holes in the idea and convince me not to pursue it – instead we refined the idea and started a company.
StartHub: How do you think Analytical Space is going to disrupt the market? What are the main differentiators between you and your competitors?
Most space service operators today don’t build their own systems – they subcontract it out. We build our own satellites, so we control our supply chain and the ability to refine our offering to the needs of the market. And because of our team’s experience and our internal development efforts, our entire data relay satellite is the size of a shoebox – we fundamentally have superior economics. It’s those economics and our unique approach that is allowing us to radically increase data flow and decrease costs for satellite operators.
Most importantly though, we’re first movers in the market. To date, no commercial in-space data relay network exists. The satellite communication constellations that exist today were not designed to act as data relays for other satellites, and their operating licenses and regulatory permits are not setup to administer such a service. That’s not to say we’re the only company working towards this market – there are others, but they don’t have a world-class team like we do nor the track record. On average, each of our employees have flown something to space at least once.
StartHub: Who are your main investors?
Our last round was led by Space Angels and included other strategic investors as well as VCs who came in personally.
StartHub: Why did you decide to start your business in Boston? How long has your company been around?
We officially incorporated in April 2016, and haven’t looked back since. I grew up around here – being as close as possible to the Sox and Pats, as well as the best sports fans in the nation, was a necessity for me. But Boston is a special place – all the best talent comes from our world-class institutions here. And the startup culture in Boston is very ideal for something as ambitious as Analytical Space. I think Boston is going to emerge as the frontier tech hub of the world over the next couple decades – Dan and I want to contribute to that and make it a reality.
StartHub: What resources in the startup community have contributed to the success of Analytical Space? (For example, co-working spaces, accelerators, networking groups)
We’ve benefited quite a bit from MassChallenge and the Harvard iLab. Both have really given us the resources and exposure to take our idea off paper into action.
StartHub: How do you use StartHub professionally?
The StartHub has been a valuable tool to navigate the dynamism that is the Boston entrepreneurial ecosystem. From researching investors, finding talent, networking with other startups. StartHub has been an excellent resource for us.
StartHub: What are the next steps for Analytical Space?
We’re moving quick – we started about eight months ago, and we’ll be in space in less than twelve months. We’re developing our first payload right now for a demo flight late next fall. The payload will get sent up with the supplies to the International Space Station where astronauts will take it and shoot it off the station into orbit with a spring-loaded gun basically. On that flight, we’ll be testing out the systems and demonstrating the service with some early clients of ours.
StartHub: What is the most important thing our readers should know about Analytical Space?
The commercial space industry is one of the fastest growing markets in technology today. Thousands of new commercial satellites are expected to launch in the next couple years. We hope to catalyze this growth by enabling more connectivity. Our goal is to one day be the communications backbone to the solar system.
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