Hydrosat
US satellite company using thermal-infrared imagery and AI analytics for water stress, agriculture, and national-security applications.
Hydrosat operates thermal-infrared Earth observation satellites and geospatial analytics for irrigation optimization, wildfire/drought prediction, and water resource monitoring, with stated national-security and natural-resources applications. Headquartered in Washington, DC with additional offices in Carlsbad, CA and Luxembourg.
Overview
- Headquarters
- Washington, DC, USA
- Founded
- 2017
- Employees
- ~103-106 (aggregator estimate, mid-2026; not a Hydrosat-published figure)
- Total funding
- $80M
- Stage
- Series B
- Status
- active
- Domains
- Thermal-infrared satellite imaging, Agricultural intelligence, Water resource monitoring
- Website
- hydrosat.com
Founders5
- FounderPieter FosselCo-founder and CEO of Hydrosat.
- FounderRoyce DalbyCo-founder, President, and Board Chairman of Hydrosat; leads the company's European operations and ESA relationships from Luxembourg.
- FounderJakob van ZylCo-founder of Hydrosat; former Associate Director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Died August 26, 2020.
- FounderYunjin KimCo-founder of Hydrosat; 30+ year NASA JPL radar-systems veteran who led Hydrosat's analytics and flight-segment development before returning to JPL.
- FounderWim BastiaanssenFounder of IrriWatch, a satellite-based irrigation/crop-condition data provider (founded 2019, acquired by Hydrosat in June 2023); now Hydrosat's Product Ambassador.
Investors17
- FundOTB VenturesDeep-tech VC firm, backed in part by the NATO Innovation Fund; portfolio includes ICEYE, Hydrosat, and Alta Ares. Participated in Twentyfour Industries' $11.8M seed round (summer 2025).
- FundTechstarsGlobal startup accelerator and investor; participated in Seasats' $20M Series A (Feb 2026). Distinct from the vertical-specific fund:techstars-space entity already in this database — which specific Techstars program invested in Seasats is unconfirmed.
- FundCultivation CapitalSt. Louis-based venture firm; led Hydrosat's 2021 seed round and followed on through Series A and Series B.
- FundFreeflow VenturesVenture investor; participated in Hydrosat's 2021 seed round and Series A.
- FundThe Yield LabAgtech-focused venture/accelerator fund; participated in Hydrosat's 2021 seed round.
- FundExpon CapitalLuxembourg-based venture firm; participated in Hydrosat's 2021 seed round and Series A.
- FundIndustrious VenturesVenture investor; participated in Hydrosat's 2021 seed round.
- FundSynovia CapitalVenture investor; participated in Hydrosat's 2021 seed round.
- FundStatkraft VenturesCorporate venture arm of Statkraft (Norwegian state-owned energy company); led Hydrosat's 2023 Series A and followed on into the Series B.
- FundBlue Bear CapitalClimate/energy-tech VC firm; joined as a new investor in Hydrosat's 2023 Series A and followed on into the Series B.
- FundHartree PartnersCommodities trading firm's technology-investment arm; joined Hydrosat's 2023 Series A and co-led its 2026 Series B.
- FundSanta Barbara Venture PartnersVenture investor; participated in Hydrosat's 2023 Series A and followed on into the Series B.
- FundHemisphere VenturesVenture investor; participated in Hydrosat's 2023 Series A.
- FundSubutai Capital PartnersInvestment firm; co-led Hydrosat's $60M Series B (announced January 2026).
- FundSpace 4 EarthInvestment firm; co-led Hydrosat's $60M Series B (announced January 2026).
- FundTruffle CapitalParis-based venture capital firm; joined as a new investor in Hydrosat's 2026 Series B.
- FundLuxembourg Future FundLuxembourg sovereign co-investment fund (managed via SNCI/EIF); invested in Hydrosat in September 2025 and followed on into the January 2026 Series B.
Cap table0
Approximate ownership by holder. Indexed holders link to their records.
Raised per round
Percentages marked ~ are not disclosed. Some are a generic VC-pattern model (founders/team weighted heaviest, option pool lightest, other holders evenly) sized to whatever's left undisclosed — a standard industry shape, not this company's actual cap table.
| Holder | Instrument | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
Santa Barbara Venture PartnersReinvested | Equity | ~10.0% |
Cultivation CapitalReinvested | Equity | ~10.0% |
Statkraft VenturesReinvested | Equity | ~10.0% |
Blue Bear CapitalReinvested | Equity | ~10.0% |
OTB VenturesReinvested | Equity | ~10.0% |
Luxembourg Future FundNew | Equity | ~10.0% |
Truffle CapitalNew | Equity | ~10.0% |
Space 4 EarthNew | Equity | ~10.0% |
Subutai Capital PartnersNew | Equity | ~10.0% |
Hartree PartnersReinvested | Equity | ~10.0% |
Contracts7
- ContractAFWERX / NASIC Thermal-Infrared Data Analytics Contract$1.2M AFWERX contract to adapt Hydrosat's thermal-infrared data for national-security mission needs.
- ContractNRO Strategic Commercial Enhancements — Stage INRO Stage I contract evaluating Hydrosat's planned high-resolution thermal-imagery constellation.
- ContractNRO Strategic Commercial Enhancements — Stage IINRO Stage II follow-on contract continuing evaluation of Hydrosat's thermal-imagery capabilities.
- ContractU.S. Air Force Thermal Imagery Contract (2024)$1.9M U.S. Air Force contract to enhance thermal satellite imagery addressing cloud/weather-prediction gaps for national defense.
- ContractNOAA SBIR Phase II Contract$650,000 NOAA SBIR Phase II contract.
- ContractNOAA Climate Monitoring Grant (2024)NOAA grant to advance Hydrosat's climate-monitoring efforts.
- ContractESA / Luxembourg LuxIMPULSE Water-Productivity Mapping ContractEuropean government contract funding development of Hydrosat's large-scale water-productivity mapping solution.
Programs0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- What does Hydrosat do?
- Hydrosat operates thermal-infrared Earth observation satellites and geospatial analytics for irrigation optimization, wildfire/drought prediction, and water resource monitoring, with stated national-security and natural-resources applications. Headquartered in Washington, DC with additional offices in Carlsbad, CA and Luxembourg.
- Where is Hydrosat headquartered?
- Hydrosat is headquartered in Washington, DC, USA and was founded in 2017.
- How much funding has Hydrosat raised?
- Hydrosat has raised $80M in disclosed funding.
- What does Hydrosat specialize in?
- Hydrosat works across Thermal-infrared satellite imaging, Agricultural intelligence, Water resource monitoring.
- Does Hydrosat hold government contracts?
- Defense Tech Atlas links Hydrosat to 7 government contracts.
Sources & citations2
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
Announced $20M in new investment and grants, including a $15M Series A led by Statkraft Ventures and a $1.2M US Air Force award, to track moisture stress using satellite-based thermal-infrared data
Hydrosat: Hydrosat Announces $20M in New Funding to Track Moisture Stress Using Satellite-Based Thermal Infrared DataVerified2023-04-25 - 2
Closed a $60M Series B led by Hartree Partners Technology Investment Business, Subutai Capital Partners, and Space 4 Earth, with Truffle Capital, Luxembourg Future Fund, OTB Ventures, Blue Bear Capital, Statkraft Ventures, Cultivation Capital, and Santa Barbara Venture Partners participating
Silicon Luxembourg: Hydrosat raises $60M in Series B funding to accelerate growthVerified2026-01-15