UrtheCast
UrtheCast is a Vancouver-based, publicly traded (TSX:UR) Earth-observation and geoanalytics company operating proprietary imaging satellites and delivering data services, including agricultural analytics through its 2018-acquired Geosys unit, to enterprise and government customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What UrtheCast does
UrtheCast is a publicly traded (TSX:UR) Canadian space-technology company headquartered in Vancouver, founded in 2010, that develops and operates Earth-observation satellites alongside a geoanalytics software platform serving multiple industries. Its core offering combines proprietary satellite imagery with downstream data services, including agricultural analytics delivered through the Geosys business acquired in August 2018 for approximately $20M. The company also pursues non-imaging markets (defense, infrastructure, environmental monitoring) implied by its Canadian Space Agency funding relationships and overall positioning as a data-services and analytics provider.
The company's technology stack centers on its satellite fleet and the integrated geoanalytics platform inherited via Geosys, which historically provided agronomic and crop-monitoring analytics to enterprise agricultural customers. UrtheCast has cumulatively raised approximately $177M across multiple funding rounds from 2012 through early 2020, including a $142M round in May 2018 and subsequent smaller rounds from investors including the Canadian Space Agency and Vine Rose. The funding pattern shifts markedly after the 2018 peak, with 2019-2020 rounds shrinking to $1.5M-$5M, suggesting a transition from aggressive constellation build-out to capital-constrained operations.
Public-company status on TSX under the ticker UR, leadership under CEO Don Osborne with co-founders Cameron Chell and Wade Larson, CFO Sai Chu, and Chairman Tye Burt, plus the Geosys agricultural analytics franchise, define the current operating scope. Revenue model mechanics, contract terms, named customer logos, and explicit ARR/revenue figures are not present in the input data, limiting further quantitative inference. The firm's own website (urthecast.com) is reported to be hosting unrelated Nightscout (open-source CGM) content, indicating a severe data-quality issue that prevents relying on first-party web signals for this analysis.
UrtheCast firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- UrtheCast
- Legal name
- Nightscout
- Website
- https://urthecast.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- UrtheCast is a Vancouver-based, publicly traded (TSX:UR) Earth-observation and geoanalytics company operating proprietary imaging satellites and delivering data services, including agricultural analytics through its 2018-acquired Geosys unit, to enterprise and government customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
UrtheCast industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Earth Observation and Geospatial Analytics
- NAICS
- Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Remote Sensing & Imaging (Satellite, UAV/Drone, Aerial, Multispectral/Hyperspectral) (AFAGALAC)
Keywords
Where UrtheCast is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
UrtheCast business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
UrtheCast product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UrtheCast is a satellite imaging company that develops world-first Earth observation technologies to capture high-resolution imagery and provides data services and geoanalytics across multiple industries. The company operates a proprietary constellation of Earth observation satellites, processes the resulting imagery through a geoanalytics platform, and delivers industry-specific insights to government, agricultural, and commercial customers (with agricultural intelligence extended via the 2018 acquisition of Geosys).
Product overview
Nightscout is an open-source CGM remote monitoring platform consisting of multiple integrated modules: the core Nightscout platform for real-time glucose tracking, Clock Views for customizable glucose displays, Reports for data analysis, Profile Editor for insulin and carb management settings, Food Editor for meal and nutrition tracking, Admin Tools for system management, and a Bolus Wizard for insulin dosing calculations. The platform is built as open-source software licensed under AGPL.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Earth Observation Satellite Imagery High-resolution Earth observation imagery captured by UrtheCast's proprietary satellite constellation, delivered to government agencies, agricultural enterprises, and commercial customers across multiple industries.
- Geoanalytics Platform Analytics platform that processes UrtheCast's satellite imagery and other geospatial data to deliver industry-specific insights for commercial and government customers.
- Geosys Agricultural Intelligence Agricultural intelligence services leveraging satellite imagery and analytics for crop monitoring, yield prediction, and precision agriculture, integrated into UrtheCast following the 2018 Geosys acquisition.
Companies that use UrtheCast
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
UrtheCast technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
UrtheCast partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
UrtheCast competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Capella Space: Capella operates a commercial SAR constellation providing high-resolution all-weather imagery for defense, maritime, and infrastructure monitoring — directly comparable EO-data-services business model.
- Satellogic: Satellogic builds and operates a sub-meter resolution Earth-observation constellation with an analytics platform for agriculture, forestry, and government — overlapping substantially with UrtheCast on business model and target verticals.
- Planet Labs: Planet operates the largest commercial Earth-observation satellite constellation, delivering daily revisit imagery and an analytics platform — directly comparable to UrtheCast on imagery collection cadence, vertical applications, and analytics-as-a-service go-to-market.
- BlackSky Holdings: BlackSky runs a low-Earth-orbit constellation paired with a geospatial analytics platform focused on time-sensitive intelligence and monitoring use cases — directly comparable to UrtheCast's data-services and geoanalytics model.
- ICEYE: ICEYE operates the world's largest commercial SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite constellation, offering both direct imagery and analytics/data subscriptions — a direct competitor in the EO data-and-analytics market.
Emerging players
- GHGSat: GHGSat operates a constellation of satellites purpose-built for methane and greenhouse-gas emissions monitoring — a niche EO analytics player with the same satellite-plus-data-services model applied to environmental monitoring.
- Descartes Labs: Descartes Labs builds geospatial analytics on top of satellite imagery, with emphasis on agriculture, supply chain, and sustainability analytics — overlapping with UrtheCast's downstream GeoSys-style agri-analytics layer.
Broad incumbents
- Maxar Technologies: Maxar is a long-standing space imaging incumbent (WorldView, GeoEye, Legion) with high-resolution imagery plus defense and intelligence geospatial products; competes with UrtheCast for government/defense imagery contracts while operating at much larger scale.
- Airbus Defence and Space (Pleiades / SPOT): Airbus operates the SPOT and Pleiades high-resolution Earth-observation satellite systems serving defense, agriculture, and commercial mapping markets — a broad incumbent competing with UrtheCast in imagery products.
Regional players
- Head Aerospace: Head Aerospace distributes and processes high-resolution satellite imagery (including its own and partner constellations) primarily across Asia-Pacific markets — comparable EO imagery distribution and analytics services but with a different geographic footprint.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
UrtheCast social profiles
Digital presenceUrtheCast financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UrtheCast leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
UrtheCast funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
UrtheCast M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about UrtheCast
What does UrtheCast do?
UrtheCast is a satellite imaging company that develops world-first Earth observation technologies to capture high-resolution imagery and provides data services and geoanalytics across multiple industries. The company operates a proprietary constellation of Earth observation satellites, processes the resulting imagery through a geoanalytics platform, and delivers industry-specific insights to government, agricultural, and commercial customers (with agricultural intelligence extended via the 2018 acquisition of Geosys).
When was UrtheCast founded?
UrtheCast was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is UrtheCast based?
UrtheCast is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
Who are UrtheCast's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Capella Space, Satellogic, Planet Labs, BlackSky Holdings and ICEYE. Emerging players are GHGSat and Descartes Labs. Broad incumbents are Maxar Technologies and Airbus Defence and Space (Pleiades / SPOT). Head Aerospace is listed as a regional player.
Does UrtheCast have an API?
No public API is recorded for UrtheCast.
What industry is UrtheCast in?
UrtheCast's product category is Earth Observation and Geospatial Analytics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMANAM, Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms, with a secondary code of AFAGALAC, Remote Sensing & Imaging (Satellite, UAV/Drone, Aerial, Multispectral/Hyperspectral). Its NAICS code is 541370.