When most people think of Generative AI, they think of language—ChatGPT writing text, Gemini composing essays, MidJourney turning prompts into images. But one of the next major frontier isn’t text or visuals—it’s the Earth itself.
In our latest founder spotlight, we sat down with Dan Hammer and Nat Manning, co-founders of LGND, an AI infrastructure company that enables enterprises and developers to work with geospatial embeddings and build applications on earth data. We sat down to talk about how they’re pioneering the use of large Earth observation models (LEOMs)—AI models trained on decades of geospatial and satellite data to make the planet as searchable as the web.
Together with their co-founder Bruno Sánchez-Andrade Nuño, the team is lowering the barriers to working with Earth data—making it faster, cheaper, and more accessible for industries from finance and insurance to climate, energy, and national security.
Read the full Q&A below to learn how LGND’s founders are bringing Earth intelligence into the AI era—and why now is the moment this leap finally matters.
Knox Systems has taken two major steps forward in expanding access to the federal market. The company is now live on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, enabling SaaS vendors already running on Azure to achieve full FedRAMP authorization in just 90 days—without an agency sponsor, procurement delays, or multimillion-dollar compliance costs. Knox has also achieved FedRAMP High listing, the standard for protecting cloud software in the most secure unclassified networks.
Altana has been selected by U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) to power trusted trade with its Product Passports—a watershed moment for how compliance works at the border. The company has been added to DARPA’s new ERIS Marketplace, a digital fast-track for the Department of Defense to fund solutions in months instead of years. In partnership with Janes, Altana has proposed using its AI-powered product network to create a living map of America’s defense industrial base—bringing foresight, resilience, and speed to national security planning.
Q-CTRL has been named to TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025, highlighting its groundbreaking work in quantum sensing and control. The company was also awarded $24.4M by DARPA under the Robust Quantum Sensors (RoQS) program to advance navigation systems that work where GPS fails. Partnering with Lockheed Martin, Q-CTRL is ruggedizing quantum sensors from lab success to real-world reliability—unlocking new possibilities for aerospace, maritime, and underground navigation where resilience and precision matter most.
Harbinger Motors and THOR Industries have launched the world’s first range-extended electric Class A motorhome, built on Harbinger’s medium-duty EV chassis. The 450-mile platform was designed exclusively for THOR’s family of companies—showcasing how medium-duty electrification scales when it starts with the use case, not the technology. With 105 miles of pure electric range, a low-emission range extender, and a center-mounted 140-kWh battery for stability, production begins in 2026.
Gilmour Space Technologies confirmed that its ElaraSat MMS-1 satellite is now successfully operating in orbit after launching on SpaceX’s Transporter-14 mission. Built on the Gold Coast and carrying a hyperspectral imager from CSIRO, ElaraSat has passed commissioning. Paired with Gilmour’s Eris rocket—which completed its first test flight in July—this milestone brings Australia closer to end-to-end space access.
Composabl is now AMESA. The company unveiled its new brand and expanded platform to tackle one of the biggest gaps in AI: practice. While most companies focus on connecting agents, AMESA gives them a proving ground—where agents can learn, fail safely, and gain real expertise through simulation and feedback before touching production systems. AMESA has also partnered with Apex Systems, one of the world’s largest technology services firms. As a certified system integrator, Apex will take AMESA’s agentic AI platform into Fortune 500 enterprises and industrial operators worldwide—accelerating adoption across manufacturing, logistics, energy, and healthcare.
Eion has achieved a major milestone in carbon removal: the first-ever enhanced rock weathering (ERW) credits issued through Puro.earth, an International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance-endorsed registry. This issuance is not only Puro’s first ERW listing but also just the second worldwide from a recognized registry with independent verification—and the largest to date.
The Ridgeline team has been active across industry events, connecting with key players and driving impactful conversations. Recently, we attended the LW3 Summit and spent time connecting with our networks in LA, NYC, SF, DC, Denver, Philly, Nashville, and Chicago.
We look forward to having impactful meetings during our travels over the next couple months. If you’re nearby, don’t hesitate to reach out.
DC: Oct 27–29 (NVIDIA GTC DC)
SF: Oct 28–30
NYC: Oct 27–29 (SEM Consortium), Nov 6 (Mission 2044), Nov 17 (Coolwater Summit)
Boston: Oct 28 (Tough Tech Summit)
Salt Lake City: Nov 4–5 (Zero Gravity Summit)
If you’re in any of these cities, let us know—we’d love to connect!
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