SSPI Recognizes Kymeta in the First Annual Rising Five
SSPI’s 2017 Hall of Fame Benefit Dinner Photo: SSPI
The Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) named the first annual Rising Five, the five NewSpace companies in the satellite industry that have made the most substantial progress over the past year. The 2017 Rising Five are Kymeta, OneWeb, Planet, Spire Global and Virgin Galactic.
“The Rising Five represent the society’s assessment of the progress made by innovative companies that are raising money, creating new technologies and pioneering new business models in this 60-year-old industry,” said Bryan McGuirk, chief commercial officer of Globecomm and SSPI chairman. “With so many new entrants in the market, the question is always who has the right idea, the right financing and the staying power to overcome the hurdles facing any new business and to find sustainable success. Our membership represents companies that know what it takes to succeed in one of the world’s most challenging technologies.”
An international editorial advisory board, including editors or publishers from Via Satellite, SatNews, SpaceNews, Satellite Executive Briefing, Satellite Evolution, Satellite Pro Middle Eastand SpaceWatch ME selected the top five upcoming companies featured below.
Kymeta Corporation, Ground Systems Sector:
Kymeta was spun out of Intellectual Ventures, a patent holding company, based on the metamaterials technology for electronic beam steering developed in that company’s labs. It was launched in 2013 with a $12 million investment from Bill Gates, Lux Capital and Liberty Global. Before the year was out, it closed a $50 million round from existing investors plus Osage University and Kresge Foundation. Early in 2014, the company won a $6.2 million engineering contract with Inmarsat to accelerate that company’s product development. Over the next two years, it entered a series of partnerships: with Intelsat for antennas optimized for Epic; with Airbus and Intellian to integrate Kymeta technology into maritime antennas; and with Sharp to manufacture Kymeta antennas using glass-on-glass technology pioneered for flat-panel displays. Commercial tests began in 2015 with Intelsat, including an 8,000-mile demonstration drive in a connected car. In 2016, Panasonic agreed to order a large number of antennas for maritime use, and Kymeta closed another $62 million in funding to finance its commercial introduction in 2017.
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