| [April 17, 2012] |
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Skybox Imaging Raises $70 Million in New Financing
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --(Business Wire)--
Skybox
Imaging, an early-stage provider of satellite imagery, video, and
big data analytics, today announced that it has raised $70 million in
Series C financing led by Canaan Partners and Norwest Venture Partners.
They join existing investors Khosla Ventures and Bessemer Venture
Partners, bringing the total amount raised to date to $91 million.
Skybox plans to use the capital to complete development and launch of
its first two high-resolution imaging microsatellites, SkySat-1 and
SkySat-2. It will also use the funds to grow its team of software
engineers and data scientists. SkySat-1 is slated to launch in fourth
quarter of 2012 aboard an International Space Company (ISC) Kosmotras
Dnepr rocket.
"We will also use this capital to expand strategic alliances, position
Skybox for initial commercial operations, and to accelerate the
development path towards the full constellation of microsatellites,"
said Skybox CEO Tom Ingersoll. "Canaan Partners' and Norwest Venture
Partners' commitment to the Skybox vision gets us one step closer to
reaching all of these milestones."
Current satellite systems sporadically capture still images of various
regions of the earth. The Skybox constellation will enable much more
frequent monitoring of an increased portion of the planet's surface.
Skybox is the first to offer high-definition video, as well as still
imagery, and will utilize Hadoop to build a combined hardware and
software chain capable of processing, extracting, and interpreting large
amounts of pixel and derived data. The value of capturing repeat images
and video, coupled with the power to mine that data for trends, gives
industries unprecedented information to support decision-making. There
arenumerous practical applications, spanning sectors from business
intelligence and financial trading to disaster response and humanitarian
relief.
"Imaging satellites have the potential to deeply impact the day-to-day
experiences of both businesses and consumers," said Deepak Kamra,
general partner, Canaan Partners, who will be joining the Skybox board.
"Until now, only governments and militaries have been able to use the
valuable data gained from analyzing these images. With this analytic
capability now becoming available and affordable to mainstream users, we
can expect to see a dramatic and permanent shift in how business and
consumers operate," he added.
About Skybox Imaging
Skybox Imaging (Skybox) is a commercial, remote sensing start-up
revolutionizing access to information that describes daily activity on
our planet. Founded in 2009 and backed by leading venture firms, the
company is designing, manufacturing, and operating the world's first
coordinated constellation of high-resolution microsatellites. With its
constellation, Skybox will deliver timely, global imagery and video as
well as an analytics platform capable of creating new sources of value
from such data. Skybox is headquartered in Mountain View, California,
and was named to MIT (News - Alert) Technology Review's "Top 50 Most Innovative
Companies" for 2012. For more information, visit www.skyboximaging.com
and follow Skybox
Imaging on Twitter.
About Canaan Partners
Canaan Partners invests in entrepreneurs and works alongside them to
turn visionary ideas into valuable companies. Since 1987, the firm has
catalyzed the growth of disruptive technology startups and healthcare
companies revolutionizing the practice of medicine. With $3.5 billion
under management and more than 85 acquisitions and 53 IPOs to date,
Canaan has funded technology companies such as SuccessFactors (NASDAQ:
SFSF), DoubleClick (acquired by Google (News - Alert)), Match.com (acquired by IAC),
Acme Packet (NASDAQ: APKT), Active Network (NYSE: ACTV) and SandForce
(acquired by LSI), as well as notable healthcare companies such
as Advanced BioHealing (acquired by Shire); Advance PCS (acquired by
Caremark), BiPar Sciences (acquired by Sanofi); Calixa Therapeutics
(acquired by Cubist); Cerexa Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Forest Labs)
and Peninsula Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Johnson & Johnson). Current
technology investments include Tremor Video, KABAM, Lending Club,
blip.tv, Zoosk (News - Alert) and Blurb in the US; BharatMatrimony, LoyaltyRewardz,
Naaptol and UnitedLex in India; and PrimeSense, LiveU and N-trig in
Israel. The Canaan healthcare portfolio includes emerging leaders such
as Liquidia Technologies, Theraclone Sciences, Durata, Civitas
Therapeutics, Elevation Pharmaceuticals and DICOM Grid. Canaan maintains
a presence in the global innovation hubs of New York, SiliconValley,
India and Israel . For more information visit www.canaan.com
or www.facebook.com/canaanpartners.

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