acqusition

Robert Cheetham is the founder of Azavea, founded all the way back in 2000 and Dan Pilone one of the founders of Element84, started in 2010. Recently Element84 acquired Azavea to expand from large scale computing to also analysis. I wanted to talk to Robert & Dan about why they went for an acquisition and why now, if both companies had both been around for so long. Both companies also have not taken outside investment, which made this acquisition all the more interesting

Support the podcast on Patreon

About Dan & Robert

• Dan's LinkedIn
• Robert's LinkedIn

Shownotes

Note: Links to books are Amazon Affiliate links. I earn a small commission if you buy any of these books.

• Element84
• Azavea
• Dan's Previous Appearance on Minds Behind Maps
• B-Corporation Certification
• Book & Podcast Recommendations
  • Thinking In Bets by Annie Duke (Affiliate Link)
  • Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Affiliate Link)
  • Mike Duncan: History Of Rome
  • Mike Duncan: Revolutions
  • Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker (Affiliate Link)
  • The better Angles of Our Nature (Affiliate Link)

Timestamps

(00:00) - Introduction

(03:05) - How would you describe yourself?

(04:26) - What is Element84 today?

(08:13) - History of Element84

(10:43) - From Landscaping & Japanese Studies to Starting a Software Company

(24:57) - What prompted Robert to start a business

(29:00) - From Solo Entrepreneur to Building a Team

(32:56) - From Desktop GIS to Developing Open Source Tools

(42:09) - Building Companies that Last

(53:43) - Why a B-corp?

(01:01:53) - What is a B-corp?

(01:07:39) - Why An Acquisition?

(01:29:42) - What does the future look like for Element 84?

(01:41:16) - Balance Long Term Thinking with the Urgency of Climate Change

(01:49:56) - Beyond Geospatial?

(01:56:39) - Deciding on a Company Strategy

(01:59:57) - What are Robert & Dan Excited about for the Future?

(02:14:28) - Book and podcast Recommendations

- Support the podcast on Patreon
- Website
- My Twitter
- Podcast Twitter
- Read Previous Issues of the Newsletter
- Edited by Peter Xiong. Find more of his work

Grega Milčinski is the founder of Sinergise, the company behind Sentinel Hub & EO Browser which recently got acquired by Planet. While the deal of the acquisition isn't closed just yet at the time of publishing, we discuss the story behind Sinergise, how it's more of an engineering than remote sensing company and why they decided to get acquired.

Support the podcast on Patreon

--- 
Episode Sponsor: Steven Feldman

• Geomob podcast
  • Jérémy Garniaux - Mapstodon
• Mappery.org
  • My favourite
  • Steven's favourite

---

About Grega:

• LinkedIn
• Sinergise

Shownotes

• Planet to acquire Sinergise
• Horizon Europe
• EO Browser
• Sentinel Playground
• Postcards from Space
• BBC article using Copernicus imagery to track Penguin colonies
• Twitter thread breaking down how lost hiker was found
• Book recommendations:
  • Ready Player One by Cline Ernest: (Affiliate Link)
  • Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: (Affiliate Link)

Timestamps

(00:00) - Introduction 
(02:05) - Sponsor: Steven Feldman 
(03:16) - Conversation Begins, Grega Describing Himself 
(04:51) - Addressing the recent acquisition by Planet 
(07:27) - A Physicist Who Didn't Finish his Studies 
(12:28) - The Origin Story of Sinergise 
(23:12) - How Copernicus Data Got Managed by Sinergise 
(27:05) - Sinergise's ties to agriculture projects 
(30:27) - Machine Learning 
(34:32) - Sinergise's 2022 revenue 
(36:09) - Sentinel Hub's business model 
(39:27) - Sentinel Hub's Value is Easy Access 
(42:09) - Marketplaces are hard 
(49:30) - The story of EO Browser 
(55:24) - EO browser as a marketing tool 
(57:46) - Grega's favourite Sentinel Hub Use Cases 
(01:00:52) - Community & Hosting Competitions 
(01:04:31) - Money Talk: Bootstrapping 
(01:08:08) - Why Get Acquired (by Planet) 
(01:12:28) - Book/podcast recommendation

- Support the podcast on Patreon
- Website
- My Twitter
- Podcast Twitter
- Read Previous Issues of the Newsletter
- Edited by Peter Xiong. Find more of his work

Recently in the headlines, we’ve seen a lot of attention around SPACs (special purpose acquisition company) due to some big names in the investing world doubling down on them this year. So far in 2020, 60 of the 95 IPOs in the US have come from these SPACs and they’ve raised $24 billion further cementing them as the preferred method for going public this year. 

So what exactly are SPACs and should you be investing in them? Brandon and Erik discuss this and more including: : 

• What is a SPAC?
• How do they work? What are some of their unique characteristics?
• What are their advantages and disadvantages? Are they considered a good investment?
• What is behind their recent surge in popularity?
• What should you consider before investing in a SPAC?
• Should you expect similar returns with SPACs that you’d see in the private markets?

Ultimately, we would say ignorance is not bliss in investing, but a danger. Like any other single entity investing, we recommend our clients do their research and discuss with their financial professional about how it might fit in their investment portfolio.

Resources

• As Erik mentions in the episode, HERE is a link to a fantastic research article on SPACs from Harvard Law. 
• If you’d like to discuss your specific financial situation, you can reach out to us HERE.