AIRMO is Powering the World's Most Advanced Greenhouse Gas Monitoring System from Air and Space

AIRMO, the space tech startup developing the world’s most advanced greenhouse gas monitoring system, led by Daria Stepanova, Dr. Errico Armandillo, David Vilaseca, Christoph Grobbel, and the team, has announced a €5M seed funding round led by Ananda Impact Ventures, alongside Unconventional Ventures, kopa ventures, Desai Ventures, Hypernova / New Venture Securities, and two EQT Partners acting as strategic investors (Matthias Fackler and Francesco Starace). Existing investors are also participating in the round, including Antler, Findus Ventures, E2MC, and Pi Labs.

For decades, detecting methane leaks from space required a trade-off between accuracy and cost. AIRMO aims to solve both with an active spaceborne monitoring system combining a SWIR imager and micro-LiDAR on a small satellite.

Methane accounts for about 30% of global warming, yet roughly 70% of leaks go unreported, costing the energy industry an estimated $30 billion annually.

AIRMO technology is already deployed on drones and aircraft for monitoring missions across Europe, Central Asia, and MENA. Major energy companies such as Uniper and organizations like OSCE use the system for infrastructure monitoring, while TotalEnergies has supported AIRMO’s R&D at TADI since 2023.

Daria Stepanova, CEO of AIRMO, said the company’s mission is to help operators detect and stop greenhouse gas leaks, starting with methane. With the new funding, AIRMO plans to move from validation to large-scale continuous monitoring, including launching its first space-based sensor as part of a broader goal to monitor 12 million energy assets worldwide.

Alina Bassi, Principal at Ananda Impact Ventures, said reducing methane leaks is one of the most effective ways to decarbonize the energy sector. AIRMO’s ability to measure greenhouse gas emissions from space with high precision helps address a major transparency challenge for the industry, and the firm is continuing to support the company as it moves toward its first satellite launch.

The new funding will support AIRMO’s transition from pilot projects to scaled commercial operations. Plans include launching the company’s first satellites in 2027 to begin operational data delivery, expanding airborne monitoring campaigns across Europe, MENA, and Central Asia, and integrating its payload into an EnduroSat satellite. The capital will also fund international expansion, including establishing a local presence in the MENA region.

Founded by rocket scientist and serial entrepreneur Daria Stepanova, AIRMO brings together a team of experienced space and climate-tech experts, including Dr. Christoph Grobbel, former co-founder of South Pole; Dr. Errico Armandillo, former Head of Optoelectronics at the European Space Agency; and CTO David Vilaseca, a specialist in remote-sensing space missions.

Alexis Burdick-Horowitz, Partner at Unconventional Ventures, said the firm backs founders with strong technical expertise and a clear understanding of the problems they aim to solve. She noted that AIRMO founder Daria Stepanova combines deep space technology expertise with the ambition to address methane emissions, a major climate challenge, making the company an early investment opportunity.

Alan Poensgen, Partner at Antler and AIRMO’s first investor, said the firm backed the company early due to the team’s strong technical expertise. He added that AIRMO has proven the value of its methane monitoring platform, and Antler is continuing its support as the company moves toward launching its first satellites.

Faisal Butt, Founder and Managing Partner at Pi Labs, said rising global energy demand and stricter emissions accountability are creating pressure for energy assets to measure and report their emissions. He noted that AIRMO’s sensing technology provides a level of precision the industry has not previously had, and that Pi Labs has continued to strengthen its support since backing the company at the pre-seed stage.