We're on a mission

to democratize remote-sensing data through a simple user experience.

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We created SkyWatch to empower our customers to use geospatial data to solve their most critical business challenges.

We believe that the best way to understand our planet is to look at it from space.

Geospatial data provides the insights we need to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems. But anyone who had never used satellite data before was going to struggle. We realized the real opportunity in remote sensing was making this data easily accessible and affordable to all. Our goal is to make this powerful data accessible so we can make the planet a better place.

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Our history

The SkyWatch founding team met at the NASA Space Apps Challenge in 2014, where they worked on a piece of software called SkyWatch that would provide astrophysicists with near real-time data from NASA’s space observatories.

Although the team went on to win the global Space Apps challenge with that software, their imagination was captured by the power of democratized access to Earth observation. SkyWatch launched the world’s first API for geospatial data in 2016, with the vision of unleashing the power of Earth observation data for commercial, end-user applications.

What we do

We’re changing the way geospatial data is accessed, managed, and distributed.

Access 700+ sensors from the world’s leading data providers in one application, at transparent, pay-as-you-use prices with EXPLORE.

Get more out of your investment in geospatial data with HUB, SkyWatch’s solution for managing data procurement, storage, payment, and sharing across your organization.

 

Access up-to-date satellite imagery and other types of geospatial data, right within your GIS workflows, with MAP.

Access data from 700+ sensors and SkyWatch platform services to integrate geospatial data into your application with BUILD.

Reach hundreds of thousands of users, through SkyWatch platform applications and 3rd-party marketplaces, with CONNECT.

Meet the leadership team

James Slifierz

Co-Founder and CEO

James is a Co-Founder and the CEO of SkyWatch. Powered by a strong belief that our explorations of space are fundamental to building a better planet, he’s dedicated his entire career to growing the commercial space economy. His efforts range from educating our youngest students on the wonders of space to hosting space-focused hackathons for our oldest students, to spending many countless hours advising the next generation of space entrepreneurs on how they can reach the moon, literally and figuratively.

Dexter Jagula

Co-Founder and Head of Government Relations

Dexter is a Co-Founder and Head of Government Relations at SkyWatch. He holds a Software Engineering degree from the University of Ottawa, and a Master’s in Space Studies from the International Space University. He has experience in both the space and IT sectors.

April Clarke

Vice President, People & Culture

April Clarke is a seasoned professional in the field of Human Resources, and as the VP of People and Culture, she considers herself privileged to have the opportunity to nurture and perpetuate the inclusive and values-driven culture that had already taken root before her tenure. With a career spanning over two decades in the tech industry, April has made her mark in various roles within the people function. Her journey began in 2001, and since then, she has worked for some of the industry’s leading companies, including OpenText, Aeryon Labs, and Clearpath Robotics.

Joel Cumming

Chief Technology Officer

Joel is SkyWatch’s Chief Technology Officer. His team focuses on making earth observation data open and accessible for everyone. Previously, as Head of Data at Kik Interactive, Joel directed data engineering and data sciences at petabyte scale. Prior to that, Joel managed analytics and big data teams at BlackBerry, helping the company grow from 3 million to 80 million subscribers. Joel holds several data related patents on location AI and contextual analytics.

Jeff Franssen

Vice President, Finance

Jeff is the Finance leader at SkyWatch. Most recently, he was a Head of Finance at Shopify, where he pioneered the FP&A function and helped to grow the team from nothing to a fully embedded Finance Business Partnering team expanding across the entire organization. He’s helped lead Product, Revenue Operations, and Engineering teams at Dell, Quest Software and Rogers. He is a CPA with two decades of experience advising highly successful executives in the tech industry. 

David Proulx

Chief Product Officer

David Proulx is currently the Chief Product Officer at SkyWatch, responsible for Portfolio Strategy, Product Management, Design, and Partnership functions. David brings more than 20 years of experience in technology leadership, including the last seven years of VP-level roles in the unmanned systems industry. In 2019, he successfully helped lead Aeryon Labs through a $200M acquisition by FLIR Systems and, most recently, the $8B acquisition of FLIR Systems by Teledyne Technologies. Prior to Aeryon, David had a 14-year career at BlackBerry/Research in Motion (RIM), spanning multiple leadership roles in corporate development, business development, and software product management. David resides in Waterloo, Canada, and is an active early-stage investor and proponent for the local technology cluster.