Seattle-based Integrate says it has raised $3.4 million in funding and secured a $1.25 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to boost its program management software platform into a higher orbit.
The year-old startup has also brought Firefly Aerospace on board as a customer.
“It has been a busy and exhilarating month,” John Conafay, CEO and co-founder of Integrate, said today in a news release.
The newly announced seed funding round was led by Hyperplane, with participation from Riot Ventures, Ravelin Capital and John Capodilupo, former chief technology officer and co-founder of Whoop. This follows a pre-seed investment round that brought in $970,000 last year.
Integrate said the fresh funding will go toward expanding the company’s team, which currently consists of eight full-time employees and a handful of contractors.
“With our new partners at Hyperplane, Riot Ventures and beyond, we have the resources to accelerate development and truly meet the needs of all companies pursuing ambitious hardware development programs,” Conafay said. “This funding and customer validation is critical to helping us bring modern collaboration tools to the hardware world.”
Samara Gordon, general partner at Hyperplane, said “Integrate is the first company we’ve seen to successfully transform the way organizations collaborate with their suppliers and vendors.”
One of Integrate’s early adopters is the Mission Manifest Office, which is part of the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force Base in California. The newly announced $1.25 million Space Force contract calls on Integrate to provide the office with software for launch mission management and coordination.
Defense applications for Integrate’s software mesh well with the background of the company’s co-founders: Conafay was formerly a specialist on the team supporting the Air Force’s Airborne Warning and Control System, while fellow co-founder and chief architect Paul Reesman was a four-tour Army Ranger.
Conafay said the contract will allow the Space Force to test the utility of Integrate’s mission management platform as an enabler for the Pentagon’s Tactically Responsive Space initiative and as a tool for coordinating the Space Systems Command’s programs.
Integrate’s platform will also be used by Firefly Aerospace, which is working with the Space Force on Victus Nox, a mission aimed at demonstrating the ability to launch a spacecraft with just 24 hours’ notice.
“Starting with our upcoming launches, we also see an opportunity to leverage Integrate for Firefly’s lunar and on-orbit missions,” said Adam Oakes, Firefly’s vice president of launch. “We look forward to seeing the possibilities unfold using Integrate’s digital solutions.”
Integrate’s digital platform is designed to help alleviate issues relating to program management, coordination and documentation for space missions as well as for down-to-earth projects. The platform is securely built for commercial and government programs on AWS GovCloud.
The company recently participated in Amazon Web Services’ third annual AWS Space Accelerator program — and Conafay gave that program a glowing review. “The networking opportunities were spectacular,” he told GeekWire in an email, “and we made invaluable connections with both the cohort and other participants.”
