Los Angeles-based Earth-observation startup Matter Intelligence lately raised $12 million seed fund led by prominent investors like Lowercarbon Capital, Toyota Ventures, Pear VC, Mark Cuban and E2MC. Its main goal is to redefine Earth observation with a unique sensor suite designed for satellites, drones and aircraft.
The sensor suite of Matter Intelligence is equipped with a high-resolution camera, thermal sensor and spectrometer. These three in a mix reflects the growing demand for data fusion in Earth observation. Matter aims to create detailed as well as AI-driven maps by merging multiple data types at the sensor level and this can discern between specific materials, detect invasive species and even identify emissions from pipelines. Co-founder and CEO Vishnu Sridhar said that everyone wants to do data fusion but Matter stands out by integrating the functionality right within its sensors. It is a bold approach as the traditional methods often require separate systems or post-processing to fuse such varied data.
Sridhar has a background as an instrument engineer on NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover and he also co-founded Thomas Chrien from Millennium Space and Nathan Stein from Caltech. His hyperspectral sensors could set a new benchmark and allowing us to uncover critical resources and climate costs with unprecedented clarity. Lowercarbon Capital partner Shawn Xu said that Matter is building technology to uncover critical resources that we can’t see and measure climate-driven costs in real time.
There is still a sense of mystery around the full capabilities of Matter. The startup has not disclosed the exact resolution of its sensors but assures that they will offer sub-meter precision. Matter has not yet set a launch date for its first satellite Earth-1 but the promise has already generated a buzz among commercial customers exploring advanced use cases.
