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§ Private Profile · Washington, DC, USA
Deep-tech company providing thermal infrared satellite imagery and data analytics to measure water stress for agriculture and government.
Hydrosat is a deep-tech company based in Washington, DC, that utilizes high-resolution thermal and infrared satellite imagery to assess water stress and climate impacts on Earth's surface. The company is building a satellite constellation to deliver near-real-time global monitoring, providing data analytics for applications such as crop yield forecasts and improved irrigation tools. Hydrosat serves customers on over 2.5 million acres of farmland across 36 countries, and in 2023, secured $22 million in new funding. Its client base includes government entities like the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force, NOAA, and NRO, alongside agribusiness customers such as Bayer and SupPlant. The company also completed its first proprietary thermal infrared satellite payload and announced a partnership with Muon Space for a 2024 spacecraft launch. Hydrosat was founded in 2017 by Pieter van der Hoeven, with Pieter Fossel serving as co-founder and CEO.
Hydrosat has raised $90.5M across 5 funding rounds.
Hydrosat has raised $90.5M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Hydrosat has raised $90.5M across 5 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $60.0M Series B in January 2026.
Hydrosat has raised $90.5M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Hydrosat's investors include George Potts, Space 4 Earth, Subutai Capital Partners, Jodi Bartin, Ryan Johnson, Blue Bear Capital, Cultivation Capital, European Investment Fund, OTB Ventures, Santa Barbara Venture Partners, Statkraft Ventures, Bozena Adamczyk.
Hydrosat is a climate tech company that builds a satellite constellation providing daily, high-resolution thermal infrared imagery and analytics to measure water stress, optimize irrigation, and forecast crop yields, primarily serving agriculture, government agencies, agribusiness, insurance, and environmental sectors.[1][2][3][5] It solves critical problems like water scarcity and climate-driven food insecurity by delivering actionable insights—such as field-specific irrigation plans and regional water productivity monitoring—to customers across 2.5 million acres in 36 countries, with strong growth evidenced by a $22 million funding round, acquisition of IrriWatch, and contracts like a $1.2 million US Air Force deal in 2023.[2]
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Washington, DC, Hydrosat emerged from the need to leverage thermal satellite imagery for precise water stress detection in agriculture, led by CEO and cofounder Pieter Fossel, a technical expert driving the company's focus on geospatial intelligence.[1][2][3] Early traction built through partnerships with entities like NOAA, NRO, Bayer, SupPlant, and Nutradrip, culminating in pivotal 2023 milestones: securing $22 million in Series A funding, acquiring IrriWatch to enhance its irrigation platform, completing the first proprietary thermal payload (VanZyl-1), and landing a US Air Force contract—marking its expansion into weather data and defense applications.[2][6]
Hydrosat rides the wave of climate tech and EO SmallSat proliferation, capitalizing on rising water stress affecting 3 billion people by 2050 and food security threats amid climate change, with perfect timing as governments and agribusiness demand data-driven sustainability.[5][7] Market forces like DoD investments in weather modeling, precision agriculture's growth (projected to hit billions), and ESG pressures favor its thermal expertise, which fills gaps in traditional satellite data for hydrology and crop health.[1][2][4] It influences the ecosystem by enabling smarter resource allocation—boosting yields, cutting emissions—and pioneering commercial-defense crossovers, like Air Force integrations, while competing with firms like constellr in ag monitoring.[1]
Hydrosat's momentum positions it for constellation expansion post-VanZyl-1, deeper DoD penetration via new weather contracts (e.g., October 2024 Air Force deal), and broader API adoption in insurance/risk modeling.[1][2] Trends like AI-fused EO analytics and global water crises will accelerate demand, potentially scaling to tens of millions of monitored acres as SmallSat costs drop. Its influence could evolve from ag specialist to cornerstone of climate resilience infrastructure, delivering "decision-making superiority" across sectors—primed to secure food supplies as water stress intensifies.[2][3]