Weather data — including information on extreme weather events — is incredibly useful to industries ranging from commodities trading, to agriculture, and renewable energy.
Weather data is increasingly important to financial firms and companies involved with commodities, water, energy, agribusiness, and any business affected by seasonality.
Insurance firms, for example, often rely on weather data for information on extreme weather events like hailstorms or other weather patterns that may affect claims.
Monsanto’s acquisition of The Climate Corporation for $1.1B and IBM’s interest in The Weather Channel’s digital assets are testaments to the value of weather data. Today, with new technologies like satellites, drones, and inexpensive sensors, we have new ways of acquiring and aggregating that data.
We used CB Insights to identify 10 companies that have raised funding and are finding new ways to generate or aggregate weather data.
| Company | Description | Stage | Select Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArabiaWeather | Provider of weather products, services, and solutions specifically for the Middle East | Seed | Jabbar Internet Group |
| Axelspace | Microsatellite company based in Japan captures weather data | Series A | Global Brain Corporation, Mitsui & Co. |
| Dynamic Weather Solutions | The company operates under the brand Hailstrike, a tool used to analyze where and when hail occurs | Angel | Undisclosed |
| Earth Networks | Operator of weather, lightning, and climate observation networks | Series B | Sequoia Capital, Polaris Partners |
| GeoOptics | Uses a tech called GPS radio occultation to get atmospheric data from satellites | Series A | Janus Capital Group |
| Shaka | Tracks weather data using a smartphone wind meter tool | Seed | HAX |
| Skymet Weather Services | Provides farmers with short-range, medium-range, and seasonal weather forecasts | Series B | Omnivore Partners, DMG Information |
| Spire | Satellite company that provides data on weather, global trade, etc. | Series B | RRE Ventures, Promus Ventures, Jump Capital |
| Sunshine | Uses smartphone sensors to crowdsource weather data | Seed | BBG Ventures, Morado Venture Partners, Streamlined ventures |
| Weather Analytics | Aggregating and analyzing many disparate data sources to provide gap-free data | Series A | In-Q-Tel |
Want more info on startups doing things with weather data? Check out our venture capital database below.