The Toronto satellite reseller saw its middleman model getting squeezed, wrapped rugged hardware in software and subscriptions, and fought its way to full ownership of ZOLEO. The useful lesson is not about rockets - it is about owning the layer customers actually touch.
Higher Ground LLC is a Palo Alto hardware startup that builds compact, secure satellite communication and navigation devices. Its flagship SatPaq turned a smartphone into a two-way satellite messenger by talking to geostationary Intelsat Galaxy satellites, and the company has since pivoted its expertise toward defense and government work - most notably GEOFix, a non-jammable backup to GPS. Led by founder and CEO Rob Reis, the company holds dozens of patents and counts the U.S. Department of Defense, DHS, NASA and the FAA among its customers.