SkyFi believes that satellite imagery should be easily accessible and affordable for anyone to access. Today, the Austin, TX startup took a major step toward democratizing that data with the public launch of its mobile and web apps.
The story so far: SkyFi built an entirely new app and interface for individuals to task satellites and buy archival images. SkyFi’s app, it says, is the first consumer-focused satellite imagery purchasing platform.
“No one likes to talk to a salesperson, exchange emails, get a custom quote, and wait for them to approve your use case or imagery,” Luke Fischer, CEO of SkyFi, told Payload. “That’s not democratizing access, that’s bottlenecking access. For us, we want to make it as painless as possible.”
The company has raised $10M so far to develop its app, and it launched a beta version in September.
- Roughly 1,300 people signed on to be beta testers.
- Of that group, 25% converted, so to speak, and made accounts.
- SkyFi’s curated cohort of testers largely included individuals who are proficient in the dark arts of buying satellite imagery, but it also included total newcomers.
Feedback from the newcomers in particular led to simpler language and improved educational resources on the website, Fischer said.
Open for business: Within twelve taps—they counted—users will be able to order a brand-new satellite image from the Skyfi app. Electro-optical and multispectral imagery is available from any of the company’s 16 data partners.
Transparent pricing, Fischer said, is core to the company’s values. “There should be no smoke and mirrors about how much it costs,” he said.
- Existing satellite images start at $20.
- Tasking a satellite to capture a new image starts at $175.
Keep an eye out…SkyFi is developing an analytics layer that users can purchase alongside imagery. The startup has partnered with nine analytics providers to make that happen.
