# Near Space Labs

> Near Space Labs is a Brooklyn-based earth-imaging company that flies small autonomous robots called Swift into the stratosphere on helium balloons to capture 7-centimeter-resolution imagery of the ground below. Founded in 2017, it delivers frequent, analysis-ready aerial data to property and casualty insurers, governments, utilities and environmental groups at a fraction of the cost of traditional planes or satellites, positioning balloon-borne imaging as a scalable, low-emission alternative for monitoring cities, infrastructure and disasters.

- **Founded:** 2017
- **Headquarters:** Brooklyn, New York, United States
- **Founders:** Rema Matevosyan (Co-founder & CEO), Ignasi Lluch (Co-founder & CTO), Albert Caubet (Co-founder & Chief Engineer)
- **Team size:** ~75 employees
- **Products:** Swift, Nationwide Program, Infrastructure Monitoring, Environmental Monitoring, Geospatial Services
- **Notable:** Built and operates a fleet of autonomous stratospheric imaging robots (Swift) capturing 7cm imagery from above 60,000 feet., Raised over $40M total, including a $20M Series B in April 2025 led by Bold Capital Partners., Captures up to 1,000 square kilometers of imagery per flight - work the company likens to roughly 800,000 drones flying for weeks.

## Products & services

- **Swift** — A small autonomous robot lifted into the stratosphere by a helium balloon that drifts on air currents to capture up to 1,000 square kilometers of 7cm-resolution imagery per flight from above 60,000 feet, requiring no engine, pilot or special flight license before gliding back to Earth.
- **Nationwide Program** — Recurring 7cm orthoimagery coverage delivered twice yearly, expanding toward 80% of the U.S. population.
- **Infrastructure Monitoring** — High-resolution asset inspection and compliance support for utilities, energy and infrastructure operators.
- **Environmental Monitoring** — Ecosystem and forest-health tracking for conservation and environmental agencies.
- **Geospatial Services** — Custom capture solutions and on-demand imagery for targeted areas and events.
- **Hosted Payloads** — Stratospheric access for third-party sensors and instruments with operational support.

## Achievements

- Built and operates a fleet of autonomous stratospheric imaging robots (Swift) capturing 7cm imagery from above 60,000 feet.
- Raised over $40M total, including a $20M Series B in April 2025 led by Bold Capital Partners.
- Captures up to 1,000 square kilometers of imagery per flight - work the company likens to roughly 800,000 drones flying for weeks.
- Secured USAA as both a strategic investor and insurance customer.
- Set a target to image 80% of the U.S. population twice per year at 7cm resolution.

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — Raised $20M Series B led by Bold Capital Partners to scale stratospheric imaging for the AI age and expand nationwide 7cm coverage.
- **2024-10** — Featured by CNBC for using AI-equipped cameras on balloons to speed up insurance claims after disasters.
- **2021-09** — Closed $13M Series A to launch more Earth-imaging robots into the stratosphere.

## Links

- Website: https://nearspacelabs.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/near-space
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/nearspacelabs
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nearspacelabs/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/nearspacelabs/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/near-space-labs
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-18