Fighting forest fires from space – that is the mission of Ororatech. The solution is a satellite-based service for early detection, monitoring, and forecasting of forest fires. Ororatech’s nanosatellites are as compact as a shoebox and equipped with thermal imaging cameras that detect thermal anomalies on the Earth’s surface. The data is transmitted to the Wildfire Intelligence Solution to display the location, size, and spread potential of a fire.
Convinced by the concept, Belgian investor Korys and the European Circular Bioinvestment Fund (ECBF) have now come on board. They supported Ororatech’s Series B, which raised €25 million. Bayern Kapital also participated with the Bayern Growth Fund 2 and the Bayern ScaleUp Fund. In its Series A, the New Space startup already raised over €20 million. The funds from the current financing round will flow into further development of the technology and expansion into additional markets.
Martin Langer, CEO of Ororatech, comments on the investment:
“We are delighted that Bayern Kapital continues to believe in our mission and are excited to have Korys and ECBF on board in this next phase of our journey. Their strategic support, together with the continued trust of our existing investors, will be crucial for the further development of our technology and our global growth. Together, we can make significant progress in combating the devastating impacts of extreme forest fires worldwide.”
Monika Steger, managing director of Bayern Kapital, says:
“Unfortunately, increasingly common natural disasters such as droughts, floods, and forest fires are an indication that the market for early detection and environmental monitoring solutions will grow significantly in the coming years. Ororatech addresses a global and growing problem in an innovative way and has clear differentiating features from a technological perspective in the market. Since our first investment in 2021, the company has developed considerably. Ororatech is already convincing customers worldwide – the company’s data is relevant in the forestry and agricultural sectors, as well as in the insurance industry. Scalability is therefore possible in various directions. The combination of these factors makes Ororatech one of the most promising spacetech players in the market for us.”
Ororatech has two operational satellites in space and plans to send nine more into orbit next year. In addition, the company aggregates 25 additional public satellites and other data sources. According to the startup, the Wildfire Intelligence Solution can already protect over 347 million hectares of forest worldwide. The technology is to be used for other purposes in the future as well, for example to monitor environmentally harmful gas flares and exhaust plumes, for mapping urban heat islands to better predict heat waves, or for comprehensive agricultural analyses for the agricultural industry.
