With geospatial business development expertise from Bloomberg, Planet Labs, and Descartes, André Parris joins Finnish startup Kuva Space to accelerate the commercialization of its hyperspectral services.

Helsinki, Finland (May 21st, 2024) Finnish hyperspectral satellite and AI-powered insights company Kuva Space has announced the appointment of André Parris as its new Global Head of Business Development. Parris, a seasoned veteran in the geospatial industry, brings a wealth of experience from renowned satellite companies and analytics providers like Planet Labs and Bloomberg and is poised to drive Kuva Space’s business development and growth to new heights.

André’s extensive background includes roles at BlackSky, Planet Labs, and Atlas AI. During his time at Bloomberg, he was responsible for developing Bloomberg Maps (BMAP), a pioneering interactive mapping platform that revolutionized the use of geospatial data in financial markets. This innovative tool provided Bloomberg’s 325,000+ customers with unprecedented access to geospatial analytics, significantly enhancing market trading strategies.

“We are excited to welcome André to our diverse team of professionals,” said Jarkko Antila, CEO of Kuva Space. “André’s understanding of the power of geospatial data services to drive strategic decisions will be instrumental as we tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues, including climate change mitigation, food security, and defense. We look forward to the innovative solutions he will bring to these global challenges.”

At Kuva Space, André will play a central role in shaping the company’s global business development strategy to deliver competitively priced AI-powered spaceborne insights-as-a-service. With three successful satellite missions, Kuva Space will launch two hyperspectral satellites and its initial commercial services starting in 2024. The first one, Hyperfield-1, is scheduled to launch with SpaceX in July 2024. This will mark the initial stage of Kuva Space’s planned constellation, which aims to provide gapless subdaily global monitoring by deploying up to 100 satellites by 2030.

“I am excited to join Kuva Space and work with a team that is as passionate about leveraging hyperspectral technology to solve real-world problems as I am,” said André Parris. Kuva Space’s commitment to innovation and quality is well-recognized, and I look forward to driving our business forward and delivering value to our clients and stakeholders.“

Kuva Space’s mission is to improve life on Earth with its spaceborne technologies. Its commercial hyperspectral microsatellite, equipped with a patented hyperspectral camera, can distinguish nearly any material on Earth and its condition through its distinct spectral signature.

This means the company can monitor and identify things like crop species, growth stages, plant health, biodiversity, chemical leaks, and illegal vessel activities. Kuva Space’s advanced AI-powered analytics platform automatically transforms its proprietary hyperspectral data and combines it with third-party data where needed to create analytics insights within 15 minutes. This enables customers to cost-effectively monitor, identify, and forecast changes and their impact in near real-time, making decision-making more effective.

Kuva Space will provide a near real-time monitoring tool as a subscription service. The business model, built around daily hyperspectral observations and an advanced AI analytics platform, will change how customers, especially non-space firms, use spaceborne data to execute ESG strategies, launch new products, and boost productivity.

In 2023, Kuva Space was awarded a €5M commercial contract to be the sole provider of hyperspectral data services for the EU Copernicus program, and won the NATO Innovation Challenge for its AI-driven analytics for enhanced Arctic monitoring capabilities. In 2024, it was awarded €1.8M to join the ESA’s Civil Security from Space Program to test rapid hyperspectral insights delivery for civil security and crisis events.

To date, the company has raised €22.5M in total funding and has local representation in Finland, Japan, Belgium, the USA, and Spain.