, a Danish company that is revolutionising test and measurement of satellite antennas, announced that it has closed a €2 million Pre-Series A Investment, the largest venture investment in a Danish drone tech company in history.
The round was led by Seraphim Capital, the world’s first venture fund dedicated to SpaceTech, Vaekstfonden, the Danish state’s investment fund, and Angel Investor, Helge Munk.
The use of space is key to solving significant challenges faced in the world – from ensuring worldwide connectivity to providing data to solve environmental issues. As a multitude of sectors start looking toward space, the number of satellites in orbit will increase significantly in the next few years.
With the amounts of communication satellites in use today, levels of radiofrequency (RF) interference are increasing year for year. If not managed properly the accelerating growth of the satcom industry will drown the radio spectrum in RF-interference, reducing bandwidth and causing connection breakouts. Poorly performing and inaccurate ground antennas are the main source of RF-interference. For antenna research and development, and for approval to bring new antennas to market, access to testing is essential.
For the antenna ground segment to keep up with the rapid development of satellites in orbit there is a great need for a cost-effective, flexible, and efficient testing solution. QuadSAT revolutionises antenna testing by combining state of the art drone- and RF-technology with custom-developed software making automated antenna test and measurement available anytime and anywhere.
Andrian Buchi, CTO and co-founder, says:
“We see a high level of interest for our technology, not only in antenna measurements but also in other test solutions aimed specifically at higher frequencies and at the future mass deployment of mega-constellations. This investment allows us to develop the product line to match the industry needs, and to build a strong team able to tackle future challenges”.
Joakim Espeland, CEO and co-founder adds
“Our solution is the only one that can provide the scalability of test and measurements required for a robust satcom infrastructure to minimize challenges such as dropped calls and internet buffering”.
To ensure the best fit between QuadSAT’s solution and the industry requirements, the team is working closely with SOMAP, a consortium of the world’s biggest Satellite Operators. Further, QuadSAT has recently completed contracts with the European Space Agency’s (ESA) program for supporting the development of advanced satcom products and services.
The investment round follows a seed round at the start of 2019. This pre-series A investment is a catalyst for exploiting the potential of QuadSAT’s unique position as the only company that can provide mobile testing at scale. This will accelerate product testing allowing QuadSAT to transition its current product, currently offered as a service, to be sold as a product for third party users. This will also allow QuadSAT to expand its UK research and development activities.
QuadSAT plans to raise a Series A round within a year further expanding the revolution of antenna testing in the SATCOM industry.
Founded in March 2017, QuadSAT’s mobile antenna testing system provides users with affordable, accessible, and accurate antenna testing and calibration. The system utilizes a custom-built RF payload, drone technology, and mathematical algorithms to effectively simulate satellites and perform critical antenna performance tests. QuadSAT’s system has been developed to meet industry-wide standards.
Source: Press Release