Fossa Systems

Fossa Systems is a Spanish deep-tech company specializing in vertically integrated satellite manufacturing and global, low-power Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity. The company's genesis traces back to a non-profit project started in 2018 by Julián Fernández, who at 16, launched Spain's first picosatellite, the FOSSASAT-1, in 2019. This early initiative, which began on Reddit, aimed to democratize space access and was founded on open-source principles. Recognizing significant market demand, Fernández, along with co-founder and CTO Vicente González, officially established Fossa Systems as a private company in Madrid on July 13, 2020. The firm addresses the critical connectivity gap in the 80% of the world lacking terrestrial cellular coverage. It designs, builds, and operates its own constellation of nanosatellites in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) to provide affordable, direct-to-device communication for industrial assets. Fossa's business model includes offering connectivity as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and providing dedicated satellites and end-to-end mission solutions for clients in government and business requiring sovereign infrastructure. This vertical integration of satellite design, manufacturing, testing, launch brokerage, and operations is a distinct capability in Europe, allowing for faster and more secure deployments. The company serves a diverse client base across sectors such as agriculture, logistics, energy, utilities, oil and gas, and national security. Its technology enables remote monitoring of assets, from tracking livestock to managing pipeline infrastructure, using low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) technologies like LoRa. Fossa has achieved significant milestones, including launching over 20 satellites since 2022 and securing a €6.3 million Series A funding round in 2024 to expand its planned 80-satellite constellation. The company has also established a collaboration with Microsoft for agricultural IoT applications. Keywords: satellite IoT, nanosatellites, picosatellites, LEO constellation, space technology, LoRaWAN, IoT connectivity, asset tracking, remote monitoring, vertical integration, satellite manufacturing, space systems, signals intelligence, SIGINT, defence, agriculture technology, logistics management, energy monitoring, oil and gas, national security, direct-to-device, M2M communications, NewSpace, aerospace, ground station, LPWAN, deep tech, satellite-as-a-service