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Three months after securing $12 million in a Series A round, Sydney-based space tech company HEO has ramped up its international ambitions by opening a new office in the US.
Founded in 2016 by William Crowe and Hiranya Jayakody, HEO is a satellite-to-satellite image company that can conduct damage assessments of space assets, and help clients know whether objects like antennas or solar panels are correctly deployed.
The startup’s US office will be based in Washington DC, where it will serve defence agencies, government entities and commercial organisations looking for a solution that can monitor space objects and their environment.
HEO currently serves government, defence and commercial customers in Australia, the UK, and the US.
"We are excited to take this significant step in our global expansion journey," HEO co-founder and CEO Crowe said.
"With our current highly engaged group of customers and partners in the US, the decision to open this office underscores our dedication to meeting the needs of our stakeholders in North America.”
The new office will be led by Nate Notargiacomo, an industry veteran who has previously worked for Velos – a Maryland-based space engineering firm that has helped clients like NASA, the Department of Defense and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meet strategic goals.
“It's truly a privilege to join such a remarkable team of innovators who’ve already broken so many barriers to deliver a unique and valuable contribution to the global space ecosystem,” said Notargiacomo.
“HEO’s strong record of success across the US space market indicates a solid demand for our products.
“I’m very excited to work with current and future partners to incorporate HEO solutions into their capability deck.”
The news of the expansion comes three months after the company raised $12 million in a Series A funding round led by Airtree Ventures.
Other investors that backed the round included Salus VC, Combinator, In-Q-Tel, David Harding and Steve Baxter.
Funding from the round went towards further advancing the development of HEO Inspect and accelerating the company's pattern of life analysis to better monitor spacecraft orbiting our planet.
The company's HEO Inspect software platform allows customers to access higher resolution imaging of space objects, faster data acquisition and an extended coverage of spacecraft.
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