Higher Ground

What Higher Ground does

Higher Ground is a private, Palo Alto-headquartered satellite communications company founded in 2013 that operates at a small scale of 11-50 employees under the satpaq.com brand. The company develops compact hardware and software that deliver two-way communication, real-time location reporting, and anti-jamming GPS backup over commercial geostationary (GEO) satellite networks. Its product platform is anchored by the SatPaq 2 flagship communicator and the TrackPod sub-module — a 6"x6"x7", 2-pound GEO communicator that autonomously points to a geostationary satellite and pairs with a conventional smartphone over Bluetooth or USB-C via the proprietary SpaceLinq® application. The technology stack is protected by 29 granted U.S. patents and is being extended with GEOFix™, a forthcoming software add-on that uses GEO satellite signals broadcasting on 500 MHz of spectrum as a resilient, virtually unjammable backup geolocation source when GPS is jammed or spoofed.

The company's commercial offering addresses three primary customer segments: government and defense buyers (validated by selection for the U.S. Naval Exercise 2022), enterprise and industrial operators including UAV/drone operators and infrastructure-monitoring organizations that need beyond-line-of-sight telemetry, and individual consumers seeking personal GPS-backup. Higher Ground is concurrently pursuing FAA regulatory approval for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) UAV flight, a capability it estimates could extend UAV operational range from tens of miles to hundreds of miles via its IoT Anywhere™ connectivity service. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales of SatPaq 2 and TrackPod devices, recurring connectivity and software subscriptions tied to SpaceLinq and IoT Anywhere, and custom solutions contracts for military, defense, and industrial customers; pricing is quote-based rather than publicly disclosed, consistent with a sales-led enterprise and government GTM. The company is led by founder and President Rob Reis and recorded a $2,000,000 funding round in February 2025.

Name

Higher Ground

Legal name

Higher Ground

Website

https://satpaq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Higher Ground is a Palo Alto-based satellite communications company that builds compact GEO-satellite hardware and software (SatPaq 2, TrackPod, SpaceLinq, GEOFix) for defense, UAV, infrastructure, and individual users requiring resilient beyond-line-of-sight connectivity and anti-jamming GPS backup.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Satellite Communications Hardware

NAICS

Satellite Telecommunications (5174)

SIC

Computer Communications Equipment (3576)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise Satellite Connectivity & Managed Services (VSAT, SD-WAN over Satcom) (HDAIAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Satellite Broadband Terminals & Gateways (VSAT/LEO CPE) (HDAFAIAM), Satellite Broadband Internet Access (Consumer/SMB) (HDAIAJAA), Satellite IoT & Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Connectivity (LPWAN over Satellite) (HDAIAJAF)

Keywords

• Satellite communications hardware
• GPS backup systems
• UAV connectivity solutions
• Anti-jamming geolocation
• IoT satellite connectivity

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hardware sales: One-time sale of SatPaq 2 and TrackPod satellite communicator devices to enterprise, government, and individual buyers.
2. Service and software subscriptions: Recurring connectivity and software subscriptions tied to the SpaceLinq App and IoT Anywhere services bundled with the hardware.
3. Government and enterprise solutions contracts: Custom solutions, integration work, and contracted deployments for military, defense, and industrial customers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Higher Ground designs, manufactures, and sells compact geostationary (GEO) satellite communicators — led by the SatPaq 2 flagship and the TrackPod module — that provide two-way messaging, real-time location reporting beyond line of sight, and resilient GPS backup for personnel, vehicles, UAVs, and IoT assets. The hardware is paired with the SpaceLinq companion app, the GEOFix anti-jamming GPS backup software, and the IoT Anywhere branded connectivity service, sold as direct quote-based hardware plus recurring subscription packages to defense, enterprise, and individual buyers.

Product overview

Higher Ground offers a satellite communications platform organized around the SatPaq 2 flagship hardware communicator, paired with modular sub-products and software add-ons. The TrackPod is a small, lightweight GEO-satellite communicator (controlled by the SpaceLinq® companion app over Bluetooth or USB-C) that attaches to UAVs, gliders, or other assets to enable beyond-line-of-sight connectivity. GEOFix™ is an upcoming add-on software module for the SatPaq that provides unjammable backup geolocation using geostationary satellites, addressing GPS jamming and spoofing. All of these offerings are unified by the company's branded IoT Anywhere™ connectivity, which leverages commercial geostationary satellites for robust, real-time, always-available position-location and messaging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SatPaq: Satellite communicator product line, including SatPaq 2, enabling two-way text, compressed photo, store/forward voice, and GPS connectivity over geostationary (GEO) satellites; marketed as the world's most compact satellite communicator.
• TrackPod
• SpaceLinq
• GEOFix

Products and services

• SatPaq 2 Compact, easy-to-use, secure GEO satellite communicator device that delivers two-way messaging, real-time location reporting, and beyond-line-of-sight communications for defense, industrial, and individual users. Sold via direct quote-based enterprise and consumer sales.
• TrackPod Small (6"x6"x7", 2 lbs), lightweight GEO satellite communicator for personnel, vehicles, and UAVs; configurable for fixed, mobile, or UAV use, autonomously points to the appropriate GEO satellite, and pairs with a smartphone via Bluetooth or USB-C under SpaceLinq control. Covered by 29 U.S. Patents.
• GEOFix GPS Backup Add-on software for the SatPaq platform that uses geostationary satellite signals (500 MHz of available GEO spectrum) as a virtually unjammable, anti-spoofing backup to GPS, enabling continuous mobility, decreased spoofing risk, and maintained universal timing for defense, mobility, timing, and political-security use cases.
• SpaceLinq App Proprietary companion application that controls TrackPod/SatPaq via Bluetooth or USB-C from a conventional smartphone, presenting a standard texting-style interface for sending texts, compressed photos, and store-and-forward voice messages.

Quantifiable outcome

• Selected for the U.S. Naval Exercise 2022, demonstrating field-validated performance in a defense setting.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Garmin: Garmin's inReach satellite communicators and rugged GPS handhelds directly overlap with Higher Ground's SatPaq 2 in the consumer/individual satellite messaging and GPS-backup category. Garmin is a broad incumbent with much larger distribution and brand recognition, applying competitive pressure on the consumer-facing side of Higher Ground's portfolio.
• Trimble: Trimble is a major GNSS/positioning and resilient PNT provider serving defense, agriculture, construction, and infrastructure. Its work in anti-jam GPS and resilient positioning is adjacent to Higher Ground's GEOFix anti-jamming GPS backup value proposition.
• Hughes Network Systems: Hughes is a leading VSAT/managed satellite connectivity provider for enterprise, government, and SMB broadband. It is comparable to Higher Ground's enterprise satellite connectivity and managed services motion, albeit at much larger scale and across GEO VSAT, SD-WAN, and managed services.
• Viasat: Viasat is a major satellite broadband and defense connectivity provider (post-Inmarsat acquisition) serving enterprise, government, mobility, and IoT. It competes with Higher Ground's enterprise/government managed satellite connectivity and IoT Anywhere positioning in adjacent defense and aviation/mobility segments.

Direct peers

• Iridium Communications: Iridium operates a LEO satellite network and partners with device makers (e.g., Garmin inReach, Iridium GO!) for satellite messaging and IoT — directly comparable to Higher Ground's reliance on a third-party satellite network to deliver SatPaq/TrackPod connectivity. Both target defense, government, and industrial IoT/M2M use cases.
• SPOT LLC (Globalstar): SPOT sells satellite messengers and GPS-tracking devices for outdoor and personal safety use cases — the closest direct peer to Higher Ground's SatPaq 2 in the personal/consumer satellite communicator category. Both monetize hardware plus subscription satellite connectivity for beyond-cellular messaging and SOS.
• Myriota: Myriota delivers satellite IoT/M2M connectivity for remote assets using small, low-power terminals — directly analogous to Higher Ground's IoT Anywhere offering and TrackPod form factor for asset tracking and remote monitoring use cases.

Others

• u-blox: u-blox supplies GNSS positioning and wireless modules/chips used across consumer, industrial, and automotive applications. While not a direct competitor to Higher Ground's GEO-based service, it represents the alternative incumbent chip-level approach to positioning that GEOFix competes against in the GPS-backup category.

Emerging players

• Swarm Technologies (SpaceX): Swarm (now part of SpaceX) provides low-cost satellite IoT connectivity for remote devices. It is a comparable emerging player in the satellite IoT/M2M connectivity layer that Higher Ground's IoT Anywhere targets.
• Astrocast: Astrocast is a satellite IoT operator offering low-cost bidirectional IoT/M2M connectivity for industrial and asset-tracking use cases. It overlaps with Higher Ground's IoT Anywhere connectivity and TrackPod-based remote asset tracking, particularly in remote infrastructure monitoring.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/satpaq
• Facebookfacebook.com/SatPaq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/higherground-earth

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Higher Ground