WindBorne Systems, a startup specializing in weather data collection, has secured $37 million in Series B funding to advance its AI-based forecasting models. The round, co-led by Khosla Ventures and Galvanize, values the company at $250 million. The funding aims to expand the company's capabilities in making weather forecasts more accessible and useful for a wider range of clients.
The company’s technology relies on a network of weather balloons and aerial sensors that collect data from hard-to-reach areas, such as the eye of a typhoon. WindBorne’s proprietary data set, combined with global government weather data, powers its forecasting models. CEO John Dean emphasized that adding balloons to forecasts improves accuracy and increases the value of each data point. The company has also demonstrated revenue growth while developing its models, which has helped attract venture capital interest.
Founded in 2019, WindBorne initially focused on acquiring unique weather data through low-cost sensors and endurance balloons. Over the past four years, advancements in AI weather forecasting have enabled the company to create its own models, which was previously unattainable for most private firms due to the high cost of supercomputers. Today, the company operates 20 launch sites globally and maintains about 600 balloons in the air at any time.
Source: techcrunch
