The company went out of stealth mode mainly to improve the service efficiency of data transmission.

Editor’s note, this article comes from WeChat public account @ 航 小宇 (ID: “hangxiaoyucasc”), author @ 航 小宇, original title “ Meeting IoT startups have created a stealth model, using a static star, led by SoftBank “, reproduced with permission, with minor deletions.

Chao Technology | U.S. IoT startup

Skylo’s IoT business needs to transmit data through static communication satellites

According to “Aerospace News” reported on January 21, the satellite Internet of Things (IoT) startup Skylo, which has attracted $ 116 million in investment, walked out of stealth mode on January 21 and intends to use existing static communication satellites to transfer data. “The key challenge we have to overcome is how to transfer data to machines and sensors in areas where traditional connectivity is not available,” said Trividi, the company’s co-founder and CEO. With the cost of ubiquitous, affordable and reliable connectivity services, there will be an amazing number of applications. ”

Skylo has previously raised US $ 13 million in Series A funding led by DCM Ventures and Innovation Endeavors and invested by Boeing Horizon X and Moore Strategic Investment. According to a press release issued on January 21, the company ’s latest round of US $ 103 million in Series B financing was led by SoftBank Group, with participation from all existing investors.

The company has developed a compact satellite terminal called “Skylo Hub (hub)” to connect machines and equipment to the “Skylo Network”. The hub with geographic location and acceleration sensors acts like a wireless hotspot for nearby sensors.

Trividi said that Skylo chose to use geostationary satellites to transmit data because “waiting for an hour or two would not work for more than half of the applications we are considering developing”; “for transportation For fleets or fishing fleets, customersYou need to connect once every 10 minutes. “

Trividi declined to say which geostationary satellites the company would use. The company said in a press release that it had developed “a patented method of data transmission” that could reduce the cost of satellite use. Skylo intends to attract customers by launching data plans that start at just $ 1 a month. Trividi said the company built its own data platform and “application interface” because “we cannot assume that customers already have an end-to-end solution.”

Trividi said that the company has been testing its technology on equipment, vehicles and ships in emerging markets for the past 6-9 months. For example, the company has connected Indian fishing vessels with the Indian Coast Guard. Trividi said the company’s technology is also expected to be used in rail, trucking, agriculture, emergency notification and financial transactions.

Lai Chuan, Vice President of International Business of SoftBank Group, said, “Skylo ’s satellite technology brings an economical way to connect more material worlds to the Internet, even in remote areas.” The use of IoT protocols is revolutionary, and we look forward to working with the company to develop new application cases. ”

Skylo was founded in 2017 by Trividi, Natal and Kalman. Kalman also founded Pumpkin Inc. Skylo has offices in San Mateo, California, Bangalore, India, and Tel Aviv, Israel. Trevidi said the company now has about 30 employees and is rapidly expanding.