Orbital Sentry Closes Pre-Seed Round Led by Ridgeline

Business Wire

Funding accelerates development of geosynchronous persistent infrared imaging platforms for defense, wildfire detection, and more

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Orbital Sentry, a deep tech startup building persistent infrared imaging systems for geosynchronous orbit (GEO), today announced the close of a pre-seed funding round. The round was led by Ridgeline and with participation from Superorganism and Hustle Fund. These investor portfolios reflect Orbital Sentry’s dual-use commercial and defense potential.

Orbital Sentry's platform is designed to deliver continuous, high-sensitivity infrared monitoring from GEO, closing a critical gap in Earth observation, where legacy systems are unable to provide insights at the speed of world events. The company is developing commercial overhead persistent infrared (OPIR) to address real-time missile launch and warning, as well as battlespace awareness. Orbital Sentry's clearest non-defense application is wildfire detection, with near-term integrations serving first responders, utilities, insurers, reinsurers, the financial industry, and civil government agencies, enabling them to benefit from earlier, more precise fire intelligence.

The company’s GEO platform will deliver wildfire detections seconds after ignition when fires are most manageable. The company’s other commercial uses include industrial monitoring, natural systems monitoring, weather and peril monitoring, and applications in artificial intelligence (AI)/prediction leveraging a dense time series data set.

“The government has utilized the unique value of persistent overhead infrared for decades,” said Ryan Clinton, Managing Partner, Ridgeline. “Orbital Sentry is commercializing that capability for the first time. The applications span defense and a full range of industries that can capitalize on real-time intelligence leveraging these same sensors. The company represents our dual-use thesis in its purest form.”

“Orbital Sentry’s technology addresses a critical data gap at the core of wildfire management, where the difference between a contained fire and a catastrophic one can be a matter of minutes," said Tom Quigley, General Partner, Superorganism. “With Orbital Sentry, first responders will be able to spot new fires before they threaten the communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems in their paths. Fire is a growing contributor to biodiversity loss, and we're glad to support the work of getting ahead of it.”

“We're building an entirely new space capability—the first commercial, infrared geosynchronous imaging platform which will enable a true livestream of the Earth,” said Dr. Mark Keremedjiev, CEO of Orbital Sentry. “We plan to deliver an unprecedented ability to support real-time defense needs while supporting critical, commercial challenges. Our ability to detect a wildfire in its first seconds and deliver that intelligence to anyone who needs it is going to change the way we combat our ongoing wildfire crisis.

“The fact that our first investors bring both a defense and nature lens isn't a coincidence. It reflects how this is a true, dual-use platform. We're thrilled to have partners who see the full scope of what persistent infrared from GEO can do."

Andrew Notohamiprodjo Chief Data Officer at Delos Insurance Solutions added: “One of the biggest challenges in wildfire science is understanding what happens between observations. Satellites like Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) provide critical detections, and aircraft like FIRIS deliver extraordinary detail, but there is still a temporal gap that limits our understanding of how fires actually evolve. Orbital Sentry has the potential to help bridge that gap. If successful, this type of capability won't just improve situational awareness—it could enable an entirely new generation of wildfire research focused on the dynamics of fire spread.”

This Pre-Seed round will fund the initial development of the imaging sensor and expansion of the company's early commercial and government partnerships.

About Orbital Sentry

Orbital Sentry is building live monitoring from space, starting with wildfire. Our satellites sit in geostationary orbit, moving in lockstep with the Earth's rotation so they hold a fixed, unblinking view of the same patch of ground around the clock.

Fire Sentry, our first platform, is designed to detect wildfires within seconds of ignition and track them as they spread, using persistent infrared sensing. Where today's satellites offer snapshots, Fire Sentry is built to deliver a livestream, giving first responders, utilities, insurers, and government agencies the lead time they need to act.

Beyond fire, that same persistent infrared vantage point opens the door to monitoring severe weather, critical infrastructure, and national security threats as they unfold. https://www.orbitalsentry.ai/

About Ridgeline

Founded in 2019, Ridgeline is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in the future of industrial networks. Ridgeline invests in applied deep technologies and works closely with founders as technologies progress from initial deployment to sustained commercial and defense use. The firm operates from offices in Memphis, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.

For more information, visit ridgeline.vc.

About Superorganism

As the first venture capital firm dedicated to biodiversity, Superorganism supports nature tech startups at their earliest stage as they build a more abundant world for humans and nature alike. They invest in three areas: within industries driving biodiversity loss, at the overlap of biodiversity and climate, and in enabling technologies that unlock new ways to protect nature. With roots in both conservation tech and venture capital, they work to connect economy and ecology by investing in startups that are literally changing the world. https://www.superorganism.com/

About Hustle Fund

Hustle Fund is a pre-seed fund based in San Francisco, Singapore and Washington, DC. Hustle Fund invests in teams who demonstrate relentless speed and execution. Founded in 2017, the firm focuses on infrastructure for critical industries including IT, fintech, healthtech, energy, manufacturing, comms and more. https://www.hustlefund.vc/