RBC Signals raises $1.5 million in seed round for satellite data delivery service

Alan Boyle
Updated
Satellite antenna
RBC Signals knits together a network of antennas at sites around the world. (GSA Illustration)

Seattle-based RBC Signals says it’s raised $1.5 million from investors around the world, providing a boost for its plans to knit together a network of ground stations for receiving satellite data.

The company didn’t provide details about its latest seed-round investors, other than to say they include venture capitalists from the United States, Singapore, the Middle East and China. Previously announced investors include Blacktop Capital and Entrenext Ventures.

RBC Signals, led by co-founder and CEO Christopher Richins, has agreements with ground stations in more than 20 locations around the globe to use spare capacity on their antennas. The company takes advantage of that capacity to deliver data to satellite operators, and the ground station operators share in the resulting revenue.

“We are the first and only provider in our sector using a shared-economy model to leverage existing ground station infrastructure to deliver and process real-time data,” Richins said today in a statement about the seed round. “Our competitive pricing is critical for commercial satellite operators to make their own business plans financially feasible as the global space sector continues to commercialize.”

The company’s business model anticipates a rising demand for bandwidth as more and more satellites come online. The seed funding will go toward expanding coverage and the network’s data-processing capability.

Richins’ resume includes stints at Sea Launch, Bain & Company, Arkyd Astronautics (the precursor to Redmond-based Planetary Resources), Space Angels Network, Expedia and Applause.

RBC Signals’ co-founder and chief strategy officer, Olga Gershenzon, is based in Russia. The company’s vice president of international business, Rani Hellerman, is based in Israel.

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