Near Space Labs today announced that Tom Chi, founding member of Google X and former head of Google's Project Loon, has made a strategic investment in the company and joined as a board observer. Chi's commitment represents a vote of confidence in Near Space Labs’s approach to solving the stratosphere's long-standing commercialization challenges, from the executive who built one of the world's most advanced stratospheric balloon systems at Google X.

While leading Google X’s Project Loon, which deployed internet-beaming balloons in the stratosphere to bring internet access to rural, remote, and underserved areas, Chi and his team achieved remarkable technical milestones, including using lasers to transmit data, creating a mesh network in the sky, and launching the world's first balloon-based internet service in Kenya.

"We're thrilled to welcome Tom to Near Space Labs as both a strategic investor and board observer," said Rema Matevosyan, CEO and Co-founder of Near Space Labs. "His deep expertise in stratospheric technology makes him uniquely qualified to judge our approach, and his backing confirms we've achieved the commercial breakthrough the industry has been seeking. Having navigated similar problem sets at Project Loon, Tom understands exactly what it takes to scale an innovation like ours into a sustainable, market-defining business."

At Google X, Chi also contributed to self-driving cars, Google Glass, and other transformative technologies while growing the team from 8 to 250 people. With formal training in physics and electrical engineering, he has conducted scientific and engineering research spanning autonomous robotics, massively parallel compute architectures, medical imaging, astrophysical equipment design, and nanosecond-level control systems. Chi holds 75 patents across multiple breakthrough technologies.

"Near Space Labs has achieved what many in the stratospheric technology field have long pursued – making high-altitude robotics economically viable at commercial scale," said Chi. "Having worked on many of these exact challenges for years, I recognize breakthrough innovation when I see it. Near Space has solved both the technical complexity and business model puzzle that has challenged our industry for decades. Their work is a true convergence of engineering excellence and operational execution that has the potential to redefine entire industries."

Today, escalating climate risks across the United States are driving unprecedented commercial demand for precise, high-frequency Earth observation capabilities. Chi's backing comes at a critical moment, reinforcing growing market confidence in Near Space Labs' platform and bringing invaluable perspective as the company expands its nationwide Swift robot network serving Fortune 500 insurers and other mission-critical organizations across multiple industries.

About Near Space Labs

Near Space Labs is the leader in stratospheric remote sensing, providing high-resolution, frequently updated aerial imagery through its nationwide network of Swift robots. Near Space Labs’ platform delivers unmatched 7cm resolution imagery that revolutionizes how organizations monitor and respond to our changing world. The company’s private market focus has enabled it to build sustainable technology that meets the needs of commercial clients while reducing reliance on federal funding. Founded in 2017 and based in Brooklyn, NY, Near Space Labs has raised over $40 million to date. For enquiries, please contact Near Space Labs at www.nearspacelabs.com.

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