Accenture Participates in $125 Mn Series D Round of Cresta, An AI Powered Platform for Contact Centers

Accenture participated in Cresta's $125 million Series D funding round. This round was led by new investors World Innovation Lab (WiL) and QIA, with participation from other notable investors like EnvisionX Capital, LG Technology Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, and Workday Ventures.

Returning investors included Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners, J.P. Morgan, Sequoia Capital, and Tiger Global.

This investment is part of Accenture's strategy to integrate Cresta's AI capabilities into its AI Refinery™ platform, which helps clients build custom AI models tailored to their unique business needs.

Cresta's solutions integrate with existing systems, both on-premise and in the cloud, enabling seamless AI-driven business transformation[

"Cresta's innovative solutions have the potential to revolutionize the contact center industry by equipping customer service teams with tools they need to provide more effective customer service," said Lan Guan, chief AI officer at Accenture. "The combination of Accenture’s AI Refinery™️ platform and Cresta’s AI solutions will allow us to offer our clients enhanced tools that drive productivity by automating routine tasks, offering real-time guidance to agents, and generating tailored customer interactions.”

"Generative AI is transforming the way we interact with customers, creating intelligent experiences that not only meet but anticipate needs,” said Baiju Shah, global chief strategy officer at Accenture Song. “Customer sales and service is evolving rapidly and Cresta is at the forefront. This investment underscores our commitment to leveraging AI to drive growth and innovation, raising the bar for customer service strategies that reduce operational costs and improve customer experience."

The funding will help Cresta double down on its existing product suite, scale its go-to-market efforts, and rapidly develop the next generation of virtual agents. This brings Cresta's total funding to over $270 million.

Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, US, Cresta was founded in 2017 by Zayd Enam, Tim Shi, and Sebastian Thrun, with the vision of using AI to help people learn high-value skills and make businesses more productive.

Ping Wu, CEO, Cresta. said, "Cresta and Accenture have a shared vision for the future of AI-powered customer interactions. This investment enables us to tap into Accenture's deep industry expertise and global reach, accelerating our growth and innovation while empowering more businesses to enhance efficiency, boost customer satisfaction, and create a sustainable competitive advantage through the power of AI."

Last month, Cresta announced Voice Virtual Agent, a powerful, autonomous solution that’s built in a hybrid approach: combining advanced LLMs with deterministic systems to transform the customer experience. This all-in-one solution delivers 24/7 personalized and empathetic experiences, effortlessly managing complex, multi-step workflows – all while seamlessly collaborating with human agents.

Generative AI is transforming contact centers by enhancing efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction. AI can generate automated responses for common customer inquiries, reducing the workload on human agents. AI-powered virtual agents can handle routine tasks and customer interactions, allowing human agents to focus on more complex issues.

Accenture Invests in Sam Altman and Y Combinator Backed BioTech Startup 1910 Genetics

Accenture has invested in 1910 Genetics, a biotechnology startup backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Y Combinator. This investment aims to revolutionize drug discovery using Al-driven solutions.

Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

For an Al-driven drug discovery, 1910 Genetics uses its proprietory multimodal Al platform called Input-Transform-Output (ITOTM) to enhance drug discovery for both small and large molecule therapies. This platform integrates hundreds of Al models and employs federated learning to optimize molecule design and target identification.

The Accenture–1910 collaboration aims to provide biopharma clients with a powerful Al platform that streamlines the drug discovery process, reduces costs, and improves patient outcomes.

Launched in 2021, the biotech startup, 1910 Genetics, is backed by leading investors including M12 - Microsoft’s Venture Fund, Playground Global, Sam Altman, Y Combinator, FoundersX Ventures, and Scientia Ventures.

The biotech company recently launched CANDID-CNS™, an AI model for predicting blood-brain barrier permeability, which outperforms the industry standard[

The goal of the investment by Accenture is to collaborate with 1910 Genetics wherein Accenture brings its AI and enterprise scalability expertise to the table, while the biotech startup contributes its comprehensive AI platform. Together, they aim to drive innovation in drug discovery and therapeutic development.

Key figures from both companies will join advisory boards, and 1910 Genetics will join Accenture Ventures’ Project Spotlight for emerging technologies. Dr. Petra Jantzer and Tom Lounibos will join the Business Advisory Board of 1910, and Dr. Kailash Swarna, a managing director in Life Sciences at Accenture, and Dr. Cecil Lynch, Biomedical Informatics lead at Accenture, will join the Technology Advisory Board of 1910.

This partnership is expected to significantly impact the biopharma industry by enhancing efficiency and accelerating the development of new therapies.

The global drug discovery market is projected to reach USD 76.5 billion by 2033, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.5% from 2023 to 2033. North America currently dominates the market, but Asia-Pacific is expected to see significant growth due to increasing investments in R&D and the expansion of the pharmaceutical industry.

It may be recalled that, in middle of this year, a CNBC report said that the AI-powered healthcare field is on a path that will see medicines completely generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the near future.

In addition to 1910 Genetics, Accenture has made several other strategic investments and collaborations in the drug discovery space. In August, Accenture announced it has invested in Ocean Genomics to accelerate Al-driven drug discovery and the development of personalized medicines. Ocean Genomics uses advanced computational platforms to assist biopharma companies in discovering and developing more effective diagnostics and Therapeutics.

Accenture has partnered with Exscientia, a leading AI-driven drug discovery company, to leverage its AI platform for accelerating the discovery of new therapeutic compounds. Further, Accenture also collaborated with Schrödinger to enhance its computational platform for drug discovery. Schrödinger's platform integrates physics-based computational software to design novel molecules with improved accuracy.

Accenture Invests in Dr. Sam Gambhir Co-Founded Earli to Expand Collabs with Global Health, Pharma Co.s

On August 19, 2024, Accenture announced a strategic investment in Earli Inc. through Accenture Ventures. Earli Inc. is a biotechnology company that has developed a novel approach, "Synthetic Biopsies", for early cancer detection using a synthetic targeting platform. This platform selectively reprograms cancer cells to reveal and destroy themselves, enhancing the sensitivity and specificity of cancer detection.

This investment aims to support Earli's collaborations with global health and pharmaceutical companies, enabling more rapid and accurate cancer detection and treatment. The synthetic biopsy method developed by Earli is expected to significantly improve the precision and efficacy of new treatments and diagnostics.

Earli Inc. was founded in 2018, by Cyriac Roeding, David Suhy, and Dr. Sanjiv 'Sam' Gambhir. The company focuses on developing innovative technologies for early cancer detection.

Earli Inc. has attracted investments from several notable companies and venture capital firms. Some of the key investors include Khosla Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Perceptive Advisors, Casdin Capital, Sands Capital and Breyer Capital, among others.

The idea for Earli Inc.‘s early cancer detection technology stemmed from the founders’ combined expertise and personal motivations.

Earli's co-founder include Dr. Sanjiv 'Sam' Gambhir, who was a renowned physician-scientist and a pioneer in molecular imaging and early cancer detection. Born on November 23, 1962, in Ambala, Haryana, India, he moved to the United States with his family in 1969.

Dr. Sanjiv 'Sam' Gambhir

Dr. Gambhir held several prestigious positions at Stanford University, including the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor in Cancer Research, Chairman of the Department of Radiology, and Director of the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS). He was instrumental in advancing techniques for molecular imaging, particularly positron emission tomography (PET), which helps detect early signs of disease, especially cancer.

Throughout his career, Dr. Gambhir authored over 680 publications and held more than 40 patents. He was also a mentor to over 150 post-doctoral fellows and graduate students. Sadly, he passed away on July 18, 2020, due to cancer

Cyriac Roeding is a CEO/co-founder of Earli Inc and has a background in entrepreneurship and technology. Roeding was driven by the potential to make a significant impact on healthcare through innovative solutions. “Accenture’s impressive network of biopharma clients will be very impactful for Earli. It is fantastic to have Accenture support our mission to make cancer a benign experience," said Roeding, on Accenture's investment in his company.

While the other co-founder, David Suhy, is a scientist with extensive experience in gene therapy, Suhy brought a deep understanding of the biological mechanisms that could be leveraged for early cancer detection.

Earli’s mission is to transform cancer into a benign experience by solving one of the most difficult challenges in oncology: reliably distinguishing between healthy and cancerous cells.

Earli’s approach uses programmable genetic constructs that react and signal the presence of active cancer cells at an early stage. The synthetic biopsy approach enhances the sensitivity and specificity of cancer detection for an earlier diagnosis, allowing pharmaceutical and biotech companies to create personalized treatments more quickly and often at a lower cost.

Petra Jantzer, Ph.D., a senior managing director and global lead of the Accenture Life Sciences business, said, “Earli’s synthetic biopsy method is a step change in early cancer detection technologies and will offer significant advantages to biopharma companies by improving the precision and efficacy of new treatments and diagnostics, as well as in understanding the mechanisms of cancer progressions.”

Earli is the latest company to join Accenture Ventures’ Project Spotlight, an engagement and investment program working with companies that create or apply disruptive enterprise technologies. Project Spotlight offers extensive access to Accenture’s domain expertise and its enterprise clients, helping startups harness creativity and deliver on the promise of their technology. Additional biotechnology companies that have joined Project Spotlight include Turbine, QuantHealth, Virtonomy and Ocean Genomics.

Accenture Invests in Turbine, That is Building a Platform for Interpreting Human Biology Using AI

Accenture has made a strategic investment through Accenture Ventures in Turbine, a company that specializes in predictive simulation. This investment is aimed at accelerating the use of AI-powered cell simulations in biopharma research and development.

Turbine's core technology, the Simulated Cell™ platform, leverages machine learning to model molecular interactions within and around cells. This allows for virtual experiments that can reveal mechanisms driving diseases and responses to therapies. The platform is designed to perform virtual experiments at a scale nearly impossible in the physical world, thus providing valuable insights into biological systems.

This collaboration through the investment is expected to help global biopharma companies uncover hidden biological insights, which could guide and accelerate key drug development workstreams. It's particularly focused on uncovering promising drug targets, selecting patient populations most likely to benefit from therapy, and identifying combination therapy regimens.

The investment reflects Accenture's commitment to supporting technology and digital capabilities that drive innovation in AI-based drug discovery, with the ultimate goal of enhancing patient care and providing more effective treatments.

Turbine is the latest company to join Accenture Ventures’ Project Spotlight, an engagement and investment program focused on working with companies that create or apply disruptive enterprise technologies. Project Spotlight offers extensive access to Accenture’s domain expertise and its enterprise clients, helping startups harness creativity and deliver on the promise of their technology.

Earlier in March this year, Accenture, through Accenture Ventures, had invested in Sanctuary AI, a company specializing in the development of AI-powered humanoid robots.

Besides Turbine, other digital simulation companies in Project Spotlight include QuantHealth, Virtonomy and Ocean Genomics.

“Since most unsolved complex diseases are heterogenous, progress in utilizing AI for drug discovery is hindered by ethical and technological limitations in sourcing deep and diverse ground truth data. To bridge this gap, we need a toolkit that can learn fundamental rules of biology on in vitro experiments and apply to patients that it has never seen before. Turbine's Simulated Cells can be engineered at scale to represent the heterogeneity of complex human disease better than currently available wet lab experimental models, which are inherently biased towards representing certain disease types and hardly scalable,” said Szabolcs Nagy, co-founder and CEO of Turbine.

“By tapping into Accenture’s expertise, we hope to expand our market reach and augment our simulation platform in order to benefit the whole biopharma industry by ensuring that the next experiment is always the correct one", Nagy added.

Founded in 2015 by Kristof Szalay, Ph.D., Daniel Veres, M.D., Ph.D., Szabolcs Nagy and Ivan Fekete, M.D., Turbine is based in London, UK, with offices in Budapest, Hungary and Cambridge, UK. The team’s vision is to overcome the current limitations in identifying oncology treatments with true patient benefit by combining molecular biology and interpretable machine learning.

Turbine’s latest investment round (Series A) was closed in June 2023 which was €5.5 million from MassMutual Ventures. Prior to this, in 2022, Turbine raised finding which was co-led by MSD (Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway NJ, USA) Global Health Innovation Fund (GHIF) and Mercia Asset Management, who were joined by both new and existing investors Delin Ventures, Day One Capital, Accel, Atlantic Labs, XTX Ventures, o2h Ventures and Boston Millenia Partners.

Accenture Invests in Humanoid General-purpose Robots Developer Sanctuary AI

Accenture has made a strategic investment through Accenture Ventures in Sanctuary AI, a company specializing in the development of AI-powered humanoid robots. These robots, like the PhoenixTM model, are designed to perform a wide variety of tasks quickly, safely, and effectively, and are intended to work alongside humans in various industries, including post and parcel, manufacturing, retail, and logistics warehousing operations.

Sanctuary AI's robots are notable for their human-like dexterity and ability to perform complex tasks with precision. The AI control system, CarbonTM, which powers these robots, is designed to mimic human brain subsystems, enabling the robots to react to their environment and perform new tasks efficiently.

This investment aligns with Accenture's broader strategy to innovate and provide solutions that integrate advanced technology with human creativity, ensuring a balanced and responsible approach to technology deployment. Sanctuary AI's inclusion in Accenture Ventures’ Project Spotlight is expected to connect emerging technology startups with Accenture’s global client base, fostering innovation and addressing strategic gaps.

"AI-powered humanoid robots are essential to reinventing work and supporting human workers as labor shortage is becoming an issue in many countries and industries,” said Joe Lui, Accenture’s global advanced automation and robotics lead. “Sanctuary AI’s advanced AI platform trains robots to react to their environment and perform new tasks with precision in a very short time. We see huge potential for their robots in post and parcel, manufacturing, retail and logistics warehousing operations, where they could complement and collaborate with human workers and automate tasks that traditional robotics can’t.”

Sanctuary AI’s general-purpose robot PhoenixTM, recently recognized as one of TIME magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2023,” can perform a multitude of work tasks. For instance, at a Mark’s retail store in Langley, BC, Canada, Phoenix has performed more than 100 tasks, including choosing and packing merchandise, and correctly cleaning, tagging, labeling and folding items, with robotic hands that rival human hand dexterity and fine manipulation. Phoenix is powered by the company’s AI control system, CarbonTM, which mimics subsystems found in the human brain, such as memory, sight, sound and touch, and translates natural language into action in the real world.

Accenture has previously invested in other robotics areas, for example, through Accenture Alpha Automation, a recently formed joint venture with Japanese robotics leader Mujin, and acquisitions of Eclipse Automation in Canada and Pollux in Brazil. Sanctuary AI is the latest company to join Accenture Ventures’ Project Spotlight, an engagement and investment program that connects emerging technology startups with Accenture’s Global 2000 client base in order to fill strategic innovation gaps.

Geordie Rose, chief executive officer and co-founder of Sanctuary AI, said, “Robots with human-like intelligence will completely transform the workforce of the future. By combining Accenture’s expertise in disruptive technology with Sanctuary AI’s industry-leading robotics, we can help some of the biggest companies in the world manage this change and provide the best solutions for its clients.”

Founded in 2018, Sanctuary AI is based in Vancouver, Canada and is on a mission to create the world's first human-like intelligence in general purpose robots that will help us work more safely, efficiently, and sustainably, helping to address the labor challenges facing many organizations today. Sanctuary AI's growing list of customers and investors represents a wide variety of industries across Canada, the US, and other countries around the world.

Members of the Sanctuary team have earlier founded other notable technology ventures, such as D-Wave (a pioneer in the quantum computing industry), Kindred (first use of reinforcement learning in a production robot), and the Creative Destruction Lab (pioneered a revolutionary method for the commercialization of science for the betterment of humankind). With experience at startups and technology leaders such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Softbank Robotics, the team has experience launching market-defining innovations rooted in previously unsolved and deep scientific problems.

Besides Accenture, significant investments have been made by tech giants and venture capital firms in humanoid robotics. Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, and OpenAl have invested in a humanoid robot startup, Figure AI, which has drawn a $675 million investment, to date.

Microsoft, Intel, and LG Innotek are also among the investors in various humanoid robotics ventures, recognizing the potential of these technologies in various industries.

Accenture Invests in Brazilian Cybersecurity Startup Tenchi Security

Brazilian company is first Accenture Ventures “Project Spotlight” cybersecurity investment in Latin America

Accenture has made a strategic investment through Accenture Ventures, in Tenchi Security, a Brazil-based third-party cyber risk management company. 

Accenture’s investment in Tenchi Security is part of $7 million Series A fundraise wherein the cybersecurity startup has raised capital from Bradesco PE&VC, L4 Venture Builder (a fund supported by B3, the São Paulo stock exchange), and Accenture is a participant in the Investment round.

Accenture will leverage Tenchi’s SaaS platform as a new component of its managed security services offering to help organizations reduce cyber risks across their supply chain.

Based in São Paulo, Brazil, Tenchi Security’s SaaS platform gives organizations better visibility into their supply chains risks by continuously monitoring relationships with suppliers. Unlike other enterprise cyber risk management providers in the market, Tenchi’s approach provides a holistic view of an organization’s cyber risk profile through a comprehensive risk assessment.

Recent cyberattacks have exposed how greater interconnectivity, network access and ecosystem vulnerabilities can affect even the most secure businesses. In fact, Accenture’s Cyber-Resilient CEO research found that around half (51%) of CEOs ranked supply chain as the second highest external risk, underscoring the vulnerabilities of global organizations across their value chains.

“Supply chain security attacks are happening all too often when security is not embedded at the core of the business and across suppliers,” said Paolo Dal Cin, global lead of Accenture Security. “This is particularly concerning when more than half of executives say their organizations have an insufficient understanding of cyber vulnerabilities in their supply chain. To address this issue, Tenchi and Accenture will offer organizations a complete supply chain risk management security solution that will allow them to identify cyber risks faster and assist in addressing cyber threats.”

Felipe Boucas, CEO of Tenchi, said, “While there is a growing awareness of the need to manage cybersecurity risks across a company’s supply chain, there is a lack of verified, integrated and continuous data and effective remediation. With Accenture’s deep experience in managed security services, we will help organizations build trust between their business, suppliers, and partners, while offering ways to improve upon their cybersecurity and the cyber hygiene of the ecosystem as a whole.”

Tenchi Security is the latest company to join Accenture Ventures’ Project Spotlight, an engagement and investment program that targets emerging technology companies that can help fill strategic innovation gaps for Global 2000 organizations. In addition to making capital investments in emerging startups, Accenture Ventures’ Project Spotlight offers unprecedented access to Accenture’s technology domain expertise and its enterprise clients. Technology companies co-innovate with Accenture at its Innovation Hubs, Labs, and Liquid Studios, working with subject matter experts to adapt their solutions to the enterprise market and scale faster and more effectively.

Accenture ranked No. 1 in managed security services (MSS) market share by revenue in the Gartner® Market Share: Managed Security Services, Worldwide, 2022 report, 18 April 2023 *. Accenture was recognized as the highest Leader in Everest Group’s Cloud Security Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2023.

Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

*Gartner, Market Share: Managed Security Services, Worldwide, 2022, April 2023. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 743,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology and leadership in cloud, data and AI with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. We are uniquely able to deliver tangible outcomes because of our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Song. These capabilities, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients reinvent and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Accenture Security is a leading provider of end-to-end cybersecurity services, including strategy, protection, resilience and industry-specific cyber services. We bring security innovation, coupled with global scale and a worldwide delivery capability through our network of Cyber Fusion Centers. Helped by our team of 20,000 highly skilled professionals, we enable clients to innovate safely, build cyber resilience and grow with confidence. Visit us at accenture.com/security.

About Tenchi Security

Tenchi Security is a Brazilian information security startup founded in October 2019. The company has developed a monitoring solution called Zanshin, which can, in a matter of minutes, determine and provide a comprehensive security status regarding a company’s cloud environment and its ecosystem. Tenchi’s clients include leading financial, health, telecommunication, and insurance institutions. 

Accenture Invests in Vū Technologies, the World's 1st Virtual Studio Network for Filmmaking

Accenture Invests in Vū Technologies to Help Companies Use Virtual Production to Create New, Immersive Experiences

Vū Technologies, a virtual production company and World's first & North America’s largest network of virtual studios, has received an undisclosed amount of investment from global professional services provider Accenture, through the company’s global investment and engagement program through Accenture Ventures.

Vū helps companies create immersive, engaging experiences through a combination of real-time computer-generated imagery and live-action filming.

Vū is the latest company to join Project Spotlights initiative of Accenture Ventures, an engagement and investment program focused on working with companies that create or apply disruptive enterprise technologies.

Vū helps companies visualize and transform creative production at pace and scale. Vū also uses a proprietary generative AI workflow tool called Vū.ai that augments pre-built virtual environments and designs workflows based on image and text prompting.

The client list of Vū include Amazon, CBS Sports and Disney, among others.

Vū’s immersive studio network and technology platform are well-positioned to help meet the needs of Accenture clients seeking innovative ways to create branded film and video content.

Companies using virtual production studios can save up to 40% in travel time and transportation costs, leading to a reduced carbon footprint. Virtual production can also offer greater control of the creative process, mitigating such disruptive factors as times of day, weather conditions, and difficult-to-access locations.

The virtual studio network recently launched – Vū One, an innovative all-in-one production studio solution that removes the complexity of virtual production. Fueled by cutting-edge Virtual Studio technology, Vū One is engineered to make virtual production accessible to all. It brings an entire ecosystem of creative tools and applications, including Vu.ai, the company’s own generative AI workflow tool that enhances pre-built virtual environments and creates workflows based on image and text prompting.

“Massive potential exists for companies to combine virtual production and state of the art technologies to create shared, immersive experiences for customers, employees, and other key stakeholders,” said David Treat, co-lead of Accenture’s Metaverse Continuum business group. “With technologies such as digital twin environment simulation, volumetric video capture and motion control robotics, Vū’s end-to-end capabilities can help our clients create powerful new experiences that attract and engage audiences.”

“Accenture’s investment in Vū represents a significant milestone in our journey to democratize creative content production,” said Tim Moore, CEO of Vū. “We are excited to work with Accenture and leverage their global reach to bring the benefits of virtual production and large format simulation to their clients and partners. By combining cutting-edge technology with immersive creative techniques, we aim to empower Accenture’s clients to create engaging experiences while optimizing production costs and reducing environmental impact. This collaboration reinforces Vū’s dedication to exploring new horizons of creativity and innovation in an ever-evolving, competitive landscape.”

Accenture Invests in Satellite Tech Startup Pixxel To Offer AI-powered Solutions on Climate Issues

Accenture, through its venture capital firm arm, Accenture Ventures, has announced today that it has made a strategic investment in Bengaluru-based space/satellite technology company, Pixxel, which has emerged as a leader in cutting-edge earth imaging technology since it was founded in 2018.

With Accenture Ventures, Accenture partners and invests in growth stage Deep-tech B2B startups to deliver innovation to its clients.

To date, Pixxel has raised a total of $33 million in funding to date. Based in Bangalore with a presence in Los Angeles, Pixxel is building the world’s highest resolution hyperspectral imaging satellite constellation in order to offer industry AI-powered insights that discover, solve, and predict climate issues at a fraction of the cost of traditional satellites.

Pixxel had earlier signed an MoU with Indian space agency ISRO's commercial arm, NSIL, to launch the its first remote-sensing satellite and India's first private remote-sensing satellite on an ISRO PSLV rocket in early 2021 however the launch with ISRO didn't take off but the startup managed to launch its first satellite, part of its eventual 36-satellite planned satellite-constellation, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission, in April this year.

With funding from Accenture, Pixxel will now join Accenture Ventures’ Project Spotlight, an engagement and investment program by Accenture focused on investing in companies that create or apply disruptive enterprise technologies. In addition to funding, Project Spotlight connects emerging technology software startups with the Global 2000 to fill strategic innovation gaps, and offers extensive access to Accenture’s domain expertise and enterprise clients, helping startups harness human creativity and deliver on the promise of their technology.

Pixxel’s satellites can capture images at hundreds of wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum and reveal key data about the health of our planet that is invisible to other satellites. 

Pixxel’s planned constellation of hyperspectral satellites will reshape how businesses across agriculture, defense, mining, environmental, and other critical industries make decisions on a global level to reduce their environmental impact. The data from Pixxel’s satellites provides 8X more information and 50X better resolution than existing in-market options.

Pixxel’s first commercial phase satellites are scheduled to be launched in early 2023 along with the commercial sale of its data. With six satellites flown in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) around a 550 km altitude, Pixxel’s hyperspectral constellation will be able to cover any point on the globe every 48 hours. With even more satellites scheduled to launch in late 2023, Pixxel will achieve daily global coverage by early 2024. The learnings from the data beamed down by this constellation will provide a global scale perspective of planetary-scale ecosystems and biospheres that will be used to create an AI-informed analysis platform and a digital twin of the earth.

Interestingly, Pixxel was one of the very few finalists in the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition in 2017 and then in 2022 launched its own satellites as part of SpaceX’s fourth dedicated rideshare mission. The team (now Pixxel) was one of the 20 finalists out of the 2500 that had applied globally for the competition, and had presented a working Hyperloop pod prototype to Elon Musk at the SpaceX headquarters in LA.

Started in late 2018, by BITS Pilani graduates Kshitij Khandelwal and Awais Ahmed, Pixxel was Asia's only space startup to qualify for the 2019 Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator in Los Angeles