WASHINGTON — Danti, a startup that developed a geospatial data search engine, was awarded a $1.2 million contract by the U.S. Space Force to further develop its AI-enabled technology.
The contract, announced Oct. 18, is a Small Business Innovation Research Phase 2 award.
Atlanta-based Danti previously won a $75,000 prize challenge from the National Security Innovation Network, sponsored by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. NGA was seeking a software application that would allow non-expert users with no geospatial background to quickly prioritize, analyze, and organize information into actionable intelligence.
The Danti search engine uses natural language to search vast amounts of satellite imagery and other data that government analysts cannot easily find, said Jesse Kallman, the company’s founder and CEO.
AI-enabled natural language search
Kallman said the SBIR contract will help the company expand its reach to more military users of geospatial data. Natural language and AI-powered search capabilities will help military analysts “easily search and discover imagery, analytics, reports, news, social media and many other diverse data types,” he said. The engine digs through government and commercial data partner repositories.
Danti also announced that Humba Ventures, a venture fund run by Susa Ventures, has made an unspecified investment in the company. Humba Ventures invests in early-stage companies focused on critical national sectors like defense, manufacturing and energy.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Danti team on its mission to make searching for and discovering the right data on Earth as easy as searching the internet itself,” said Leo Polovets, general partner at Susa Ventures and Humba Ventures.
Danti’s platform, said Polovets, has national security applications and is also suited for commercial industries in the property, insurance and large-scale infrastructure sectors.
