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This seems to be a similar trend like VC-backed "Deep Sea" startups exploring the unchartered oceans floor. Does anyone know how these space and marine startups

This seems to be a similar trend like VC-backed "Deep Sea" startups exploring the unchartered oceans floor. Does anyone know how these space and marine startups are planning to make money?

burkaman 5y ago
> LeoLabs sells data to satellite operators, space agencies, America’s armed forces and insurers keen to calculate better actuarial tables for spacecraft. > Customers include insurers keen to see if policyholders fly their satellites as safely as they claim to. > Northstar, for example, plans to charge annual subscriptions of between $10m and $100m. > Naturally, this orbital-tracking technology has military value as well. I think most of these companies are assuming they can get big government contracts once this becomes a big enough problem. Lockheed Martin has Space Fence (https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/space-fence.html https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/space-fence.ht...) which was presumably funded by a government contract
- twelve40 5y ago
  since OP asked specifically about VC-backed (and not bootstrapped or a lifestyle government consultancy), i guess the question is they must have at least pitched a $1bn+ TAM, no? in which case even having a couple of $100m contracts, even when it does miracles for lifestyle, would not be enough. Caveat, don't know much about this, just intuitively it doesn't seem like a VC hypergrowth story?
  - jdminhbg 5y ago
    OP mentioned specifically VC-backed sea floor mapping companies; I assume those plan to monetize via natural resource drilling.
    - mhb_eng 5y ago
      For seafloor mapping, the other opportunity is in wind power, which is actually a reasonably compelling market
paxys 5y ago
For space at least I think the question is as broad as "how will an internet company make money." There are limitless applications in satellite launch and operation, debris tracking, asteroid mining, defense, research contracts, tourism.
Torwald 5y ago
I don't know any of their plans. - With private enterprise in space, you will be able to sell such data to insurance companies, maybe. - You can sell the data to governments who want to have it for any form of control reasons. - Science can use that data for exploration, this could potentially lead to breakthroughs, which in turn could lead to markets whose players depend on your data. Or just science labs are buying your data.
toomuchtodo 5y ago
Are you aware of the Seabed 2030 effort? I believe it’s entirely not for profit. https://seabed2030.org/ https://seabed2030.org/

This seems to be a similar trend like VC-backed "Deep Sea" startups exploring the unchartered oceans floor. Does anyone know how these space and marine startups are planning to make money?

burkaman 5y ago

> LeoLabs sells data to satellite operators, space agencies, America’s armed forces and insurers keen to calculate better actuarial tables for spacecraft. > Customers include insurers keen to see if policyholders fly their satellites as safely as they claim to. > Northstar, for example, plans to charge annual subscriptions of between $10m and $100m. > Naturally, this orbital-tracking technology has military value as well. I think most of these companies are assuming they can get big government contracts once this becomes a big enough problem. Lockheed Martin has Space Fence (https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/space-fence.html https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/space-fence.ht...) which was presumably funded by a government contract

twelve40 5y ago
since OP asked specifically about VC-backed (and not bootstrapped or a lifestyle government consultancy), i guess the question is they must have at least pitched a $1bn+ TAM, no? in which case even having a couple of $100m contracts, even when it does miracles for lifestyle, would not be enough. Caveat, don't know much about this, just intuitively it doesn't seem like a VC hypergrowth story?
- jdminhbg 5y ago
  OP mentioned specifically VC-backed sea floor mapping companies; I assume those plan to monetize via natural resource drilling.
  - mhb_eng 5y ago
    For seafloor mapping, the other opportunity is in wind power, which is actually a reasonably compelling market

paxys 5y ago

For space at least I think the question is as broad as "how will an internet company make money." There are limitless applications in satellite launch and operation, debris tracking, asteroid mining, defense, research contracts, tourism.

Torwald 5y ago

I don't know any of their plans. - With private enterprise in space, you will be able to sell such data to insurance companies, maybe. - You can sell the data to governments who want to have it for any form of control reasons. - Science can use that data for exploration, this could potentially lead to breakthroughs, which in turn could lead to markets whose players depend on your data. Or just science labs are buying your data.

toomuchtodo 5y ago

Are you aware of the Seabed 2030 effort? I believe it’s entirely not for profit. https://seabed2030.org/ https://seabed2030.org/