Aspiring Entrepreneurs Learn the Ups and Downs of Starting a Geospatial Business During IGARSS 2025 TIE Session
Part II
By Kevin Corbley
Part I of this article recapped two business startups in a TIE session held at the IGARSS 2025 Conference held in Brisbane, Australia, on August 6. I had the privilege of serving as moderator for the panel entitled “Accelerate Your Geospatial Startup” followed by one-on-one “Geospatial Business Brainstorming” idea pitches between attendees and speakers.
The Startup panel featured entrepreneurs who had started and built at least one business in the geospatial industry. In Part I, we reviewed recent activities by Alisa Starkey of Ozius and Rakshit Bhatt of GalaxEye. Part II covers the presentations of Abhilash Bhat of Pixxel and Dr. Shawana Johnson of Global Marketing Insights.
We continued our panel with Abhilash Bhat, presenting on behalf of Pixxel CEO Awais Ahmed, who was not able to attend in person. Abhilash described the circuitous journey Ahmed and his team took in creating Pixxel, a space data company and spacecraft manufacturer redefining Earth observation with hyperspectral imaging. Ahmed founded Pixxel while completing his undergraduate degree at BITS Pilani. The company has successfully launched its first three commercial hyperspectral satellites—Fireflies—delivering imagery at 5-meter resolution and 135+ spectral bands, with 18 to 24 satellites planned.
Among the many lessons learned in the journey, Abhilash highlighted the fact that Ahmed and his team encountered their share of naysayers along the way who warned them their idea for hyperspectral satellites was not technically feasible. Fortunately, the Pixxel team remained focused on what the market wanted and needed on their way to the launch pad.
An important fact that I noted in my comments was that Ahmed’s startup team received some of their initial funding from the alumni of the university they attended in India. While it is extremely common in the United States for universities and their graduates to invest in new ventures, often through formal venture capital organizations, I was unaware it occurs in India. This raised an important point for young entrepreneurs globally to seek financial investment from the ecosystems surrounding their educational institutions.
Dr. Shawana Johnson, who is a successful entrepreneur in her own right as president of Global Marketing Insights in Ohio, USA, wrapped up the session with a slightly different business startup topic. Leaning on her years of experience supporting geospatial organizations in building commercial businesses, Shawana focused on the challenging topic of how a non-U.S. company can engage in a business relationship with the U.S. government.
Shawana assured international attendees the U.S. government has a need for their geospatial products and services. While the process of earning a contract with an entity such as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency might be daunting, the financial rewards can be significant. She managed to break this complicated process down into five key steps:
- Choose your PARTNERS wisely
- Understand compliance and certifications
- Follow the U.S. Fed Geo ecosystem
- Follow and join organizations to assist you
- Know the keys to success and the challenges and risks
Shawana detailed the processes involved in each step and concluded: “Doing business with the U.S. government as an international company might not be easy, but it’s definitely possible.”
She finished with a five-point plan for international companies to get started on their journey toward working with the U.S. government:
- Register on SAM, pursue GSA schedule access.
- Map capabilities to agency mission needs (e.g., climate, defense, agriculture).
- Seek U.S. teaming partners or join consortia.
- Attend U.S. conferences, pitch via industry days, respond to RFIs.
- Invest in cybersecurity compliance and secure data-handling frameworks
Following a coffee break, the speakers returned to the presentation room to sit down one on one with attendees to discuss their geospatial business ideas during the Geospatial Brainstorming session. Each 15-minute slot was filled, and participants received invaluable advice on the next steps to take in their startup journeys. Special thanks to Rashmi Shah, an experienced venture investor currently with NASA JPL, who helped us handle the high number of requests for one-on-one pitches.
One Brainstorming participant commented it was his favorite session at IGARSS 2025.
Ozius’ Alisa Starkey participated in the one-on-one session and offered guidance to several IGARSS attendees. She summarized the Brainstorming session, “All were extremely grateful for the opportunity to share their idea in a ‘safe’ and informal setting to help them grow and articulate their ideas.”
Dr. Johnson’s “Global Marketing Insights guide to contracting with the U.S. government” presentation is available to attendees and to GRSS members by sending an email request to kevin@corbleycommunications.com.
