Point One Navigation

About Point One Navigation

Point One Navigation, established in San Francisco in 2016 by co-founders Aaron Nathan and Bryan Galusha, provides high-precision location technology for applications demanding accuracy beyond standard GPS capabilities. The company was born from the realization that existing precise location solutions were too expensive and difficult to integrate for emerging sectors like autonomous driving and robotics. Founder and CEO Aaron Nathan's journey is rooted in early autonomous vehicle development, including participation in the DARPA Grand Challenge at Cornell University, and entrepreneurial experience with a prior successful startup acquisition. This background in robotics and scalable software systems directly informs the company's mission to simplify and democratize centimeter-level positioning.

The firm operates on a recurring revenue model, charging clients a subscription fee per device, which provides access to its unified location platform. This platform serves a diverse client base, including automotive manufacturers, robotics companies, precision agriculture, construction, surveyors, and drone operators. By offering a developer-first API and seamless integration, Point One enables these clients to embed precise spatial awareness into their products, from autonomous race cars and farm equipment to smart city infrastructure and delivery robots.

Point One's core offering is a vertically integrated platform comprising three key technologies. The first is the Polaris network, a proprietary and managed Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) corrections network with over 2,000 base stations across the US, Europe, UK, Australia, and Asia, ensuring high reliability. The second is the Positioning Engine, a software library that performs sensor fusion, combining data from GNSS, inertial measurement units (IMUs), and other vehicle sensors to maintain a reliable position even in challenging environments like tunnels or urban canyons. Finally, the Location Cloud unifies these services through a single GraphQL API, allowing developers to manage device provisioning, credentials, and data observability in real-time. This integrated approach eliminates the complexity of hardware setup and fragmented network credentials, allowing clients to achieve centimeter-level accuracy quickly. The company has also developed hardware, such as the Atlas INS and development kits, to facilitate easier adoption of its technology.