Inertial Sense announced last week that it has closed a $2 million round of seed funding led by DataTribe and supported by Atomic Ventures. Inertial Sense, a manufacturer of high-performance precision GPS-Inertial Navigation Systems, will use the funds to accelerate their market-leading position and advanced development of additional micro-navigation solutions and 3-D motion sensors.
Located on Utah’s Silicon Slopes, Inertial Sense designs and manufactures precision GPS sensors that deliver fast, accurate, and reliable attitude, velocity, and position for autonomous vehicle applications. The company’s technology encompasses Inertial Navigation Systems, Attitude Heading Reference Systems, and Inertial Measurement Units.
“We provide engineers with a turn-key solution to help solve the complex problem of autonomous vehicle navigation, at a size, accuracy and price point that the market has never seen before,” Walt Johnson, Founder and CTO, Inertial Sense said in a press release. “Traditional GPS technology is no longer sufficient for today’s autonomous applications. We are bringing the smallest, low cost precision GPS solution to the market, targeting unmanned aerial vehicles, robotics and other applications where there is a need for GPS augmentation.”
Inertial Sense modules are patent pending and are currently being sold worldwide at volume for a broad variety of applications including:
- Autonomous Navigation: Drones, Robots, Automobiles
- Aerial Surveys: 3D Mapping, Photogrammetry, Orthomosaics
- Gimbal Stabilization and Antenna Pointing
- 3D motion capture and Personnel Tracking
Inertial Sense is the recipient of DataTribe’s inaugural DataTribe Challenge competition, announced in March 2018.
“We instantly recognized Inertial Sense as a remarkably efficient approach to the problems associated with traditional GPS technology,” said Mike Janke, Co-founder and Investment Board Member, DataTribe. “By offering a higher degree of precision in a smaller size with lower power consumption, Inertial Sense is making it possible for GPS to work more effectively in more challenging environments and applications. And by bringing the cost down, they are also paving the way for a mass market navigation system to support consumer applications like wearables and other types of devices. We’re impressed with Inertial Sense’s early achievements and are eager to collaborate with their experienced management team to realize their vision.”
“Inertial Sense fits the mold of over-the-horizon technology breakthroughs that we look for coming out of the military as it ventures into the commercial space,” said Bob Ackerman, Founder and Managing Director of AllegisCyber, a leading Silicon Valley VC firm. “They are at the forefront of micro-sensors and software for autonomous vehicles, robotics, transportation and drones. The explosive growth of IoT, requires micro-sensor-based instrumentation to measure, monitor and ensure accuracy. These guys are leading by a large margin.”
DataTribe is a cybersecurity and data science startup studio that invests and co-builds next generational commercial software. The firm draws upon experienced technology and entrepreneurial teams from the world’s most prestigious, high-stakes environments, including the international intelligence community and National Labs from U.S, Canada, UK and Australia. Headquartered in Fulton, MD with offices in San Francisco, CA.
