{"id":17691,"date":"2026-06-16T11:28:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T08:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/?p=17691"},"modified":"2026-06-17T13:02:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T10:02:13","slug":"skyfi-making-earth-intelligence-accessible-for-governments-and-enterprises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/skyfi-making-earth-intelligence-accessible-for-governments-and-enterprises\/","title":{"rendered":"Startup Story: NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator x SkyFi"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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SkyFi is building a simpler, faster, and more scalable way for organizations to access geospatial data and analytics. <\/strong>Its\u00a0mission\u00a0is\u00a0to\u00a0close\u00a0the\u00a0gap\u00a0between\u00a0what\u00a0happens\u00a0on\u00a0Earth\u00a0and\u00a0humanity\u2019s\u00a0understanding\u00a0of\u00a0it\u00a0by\u00a0connecting\u00a0government<\/strong><\/span> and enterprise customers with Earth Intelligence through a single, easy-to-use platform.<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Through a virtual constellation of more than 150 sensors and integrated analytics capabilities, SkyFi enables customers to task new imagery collections, access historical data, and run analytics that turn geospatial data into actionable answers faster. As part of the NATO DIANA accelerator, the company is bringing this technology closer to mission-critical defence and dual-use applications across the Alliance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

SkyFi was founded by Luke Fischer and Bill Perkins. Fischer, the company\u2019s CEO and Co-Founder, began his career as a U.S. Army Special Operations aviator before holding leadership roles at Uber, Joby Aviation, and Shield Capital, where he focused on space, autonomy, AI, and cyber. Perkins, SkyFi\u2019s President and Co-Founder, is a hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, film producer, author of <\/span>Die\u00a0with\u00a0Zero<\/span><\/i>, and\u00a0founder\u00a0of\u00a0several\u00a0ventures.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

We spoke with Mike Panos, COO of SkyFi, about the company\u2019s mission, the challenges of transforming a legacy industry, and where SkyFi is heading next.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/h5>
How did you\u00a0come up with\u00a0the idea\u00a0to create\u00a0a startup?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>

SkyFi was born out of the frustration of trying to access up-to-date geospatial data for hedge fund analysis – a process that was historically fragmented, slow, and manual.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The team set out to build a simple, intuitive platform to bridge that gap. Since then, SkyFi has evolved from a marketplace into a primary access layer for Earth Intelligence, serving global enterprises and governments, including Fortune 100 companies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/h5>
What has\u00a0been the biggest challenge and the biggest win\u00a0so far?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>

One of SkyFi\u2019s biggest challenges has been pushing a legacy industry to evolve in line with modern customer expectations. Today\u2019s users expect fast delivery, advanced capabilities, and competitive pricing, while many existing systems in the geospatial sector remain complex and slow-moving.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

As industry outsiders, the SkyFi team is challenging traditional approaches and helping the sector keep pace with current and future customer needs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The company\u2019s biggest win has been the speed at which it has scaled adoption among government and enterprise customers. SkyFi started as an easier way to buy satellite imagery, but has since expanded its capabilities significantly to meet the demands of large organizations with real-world needs for geospatial data and analytics.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/h5>
What\u00a0sets\u00a0your\u00a0startup\u00a0apart\u00a0from\u00a0competitors?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>

SkyFi differentiates itself by prioritizing user experience and scalable software architecture over legacy geospatial complexity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

While many competitors build tools primarily for specialists, SkyFi is engineered by technology and business veterans to provide integrated analytics, intuitive licensing, and a seamless interface. This enables decision-makers to access Earth Intelligence without unnecessary friction.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Why\u00a0did\u00a0you\u00a0choose\u00a0NATO DIANA\u00a0Estonian\u00a0accelerator?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>

SkyFi chose NATO DIANA to accelerate the adoption of its dual-use technology into mission-critical defence applications across the Alliance.<\/span><\/p>

The NATO DIANA programme provides an unparalleled gateway to better understand the diverse requirements of member states. It allows SkyFi to refine the interoperability of its platform and directly support NATO\u2019s evolving geospatial intelligence needs.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/h5>
Where do you see your startup in 12 months or 5 years?\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>

In one year, SkyFi aims to have expanded its international footprint by integrating its Earth Intelligence platform into the command-and-control systems of allied partner nations, strengthening their operational capabilities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

In five years, SkyFi\u2019s ambition is to become the preeminent global access layer for Earth Intelligence. The company plans to achieve this by leveraging a comprehensive analytics suite, the world\u2019s largest virtual constellation, and multi-modal data sources to provide secure sovereign deployments globally.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/h5>
Who\u00a0will\u00a0be\u00a0the\u00a0next\u00a0defence\u00a0or\u00a0dual-use\u00a0unicorn?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>

SkyFi\u00a0is\u00a0certainly\u00a0aiming\u00a0for\u00a0that\u00a0milestone.\u00a0But\u00a0if\u00a0the\u00a0team\u00a0had\u00a0to\u00a0place\u00a0a\u00a0bet\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0next\u00a0breakout\u00a0company,\u00a0their\u00a0money\u00a0would\u00a0be\u00a0on\u00a0Havoc\u00a0AI.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Havoc AI is building autonomous maritime systems that bring software-first agility to the ocean. Their ability to deploy low-cost, high-intelligence surface fleets represents exactly the kind of attritable technology that could define the next decade of global security.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/h5>
Which books, podcasts, and influencers in your field do you follow and recommend to other aspiring entrepreneurs?\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>

SkyFi\u00a0recommends\u00a0<\/span>The Hard Thing About Hard Things<\/span><\/i> by Ben Horowitz as essential reading for entrepreneurs. <\/span>For\u00a0podcasts,\u00a0the\u00a0team\u00a0follows\u00a0<\/span>How I Built This<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Acquired<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0Recommended\u00a0newsletters\u00a0include\u00a0<\/span>Per\u00a0Aspera<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>Tectonic<\/span><\/i>, and\u00a0<\/span>Payload<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

As for influencers in the field, SkyFi highlights its own co-founder, Bill Perkins, whose wide-ranging experience across finance, entrepreneurship, and media brings a unique perspective to building ambitious companies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The NATO DIANA Estonian accelerator is implemented by Tehnopol together with Sparkup Tartu Science Park.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SkyFi is building a simpler, faster, and more scalable way for organizations to access geospatial data and analytics. Its\u00a0mission\u00a0is\u00a0to\u00a0close\u00a0the\u00a0gap\u00a0between\u00a0what\u00a0happens\u00a0on\u00a0Earth\u00a0and\u00a0humanity\u2019s\u00a0understanding\u00a0of\u00a0it\u00a0by\u00a0connecting\u00a0government and enterprise customers with Earth Intelligence through a single, easy-to-use platform.\u00a0 Through a virtual constellation of more than 150 sensors and integrated analytics capabilities, SkyFi enables customers to task new imagery collections, access historical data, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17692,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[231,241,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kaitsetoostus","category-nato-diana-eesti-kiirendi","category-uudised"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17691"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17761,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17691\/revisions\/17761"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}