Totum

About Totum

Totum Labs, founded in 2018 by Ted Myers in San Diego, California, developed a direct-to-satellite, low-power, wide-area (LPWA) connectivity solution for IoT. Its technology, named Doppler Multichannel Spread Spectrum (DMSS), enabled tracking and monitoring of assets, even indoors, by connecting low-power sensors directly to its constellation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) nanosatellites.

The core of Totum's offering was its System on a Chip (SoC), integrating a DMSS modem and RF functionality, allowing small, low-cost endpoint devices with a battery life of over ten years. The solution was designed to compete with cellular LPWA technologies like NB-IoT by providing global coverage without additional terrestrial infrastructure. The company's business model focused on connectivity for high-volume applications in supply chain, logistics, agriculture and industrial sectors. Totum raised $15.5 million in funding, including a $13 million Series A round in November 2020 co-led by Heroic Ventures and Space Capital, with participation from investors including Qualcomm co-founder Dr. Andrew Viterbi. In September 2021, the company demonstrated what it described as the world's first indoor, direct-to-satellite IoT connection and reported two million in advance orders.