Quindar closes $18M Series A round for classified business push

Quindar, a startup developer of software to automate spacecraft operations, has fetched $18 million in Series A capital to help fund the buildout of a new classified facility and other expansion efforts.

CEO Nate Hamet and several other former OneWeb engineers started Quindar in 2022 to focus on modernizing ground architecture and systems that help users operate systems in space such as satellites.

The company designs its software to provide a common operating picture that automates each phase of the mission lifecycle, ranging from planning and flight dynamics to command-and-control and event management.

Washington Harbour Partners led the Series A round announced Wednesday and is the same investment firm behind GovCon tech names such as Groundswell, Raft and SixGen. Booz Allen Hamilton’s venture capital arm is continuing its involvement in Quindar alongside other returning investors FCVC, FUSE and Y Combinator.

Quindar is focusing this next phase of its strategy on expanding its secure infrastructure and operational capacity to fulfill demand in both government and commercial markets, including efforts to grow the workforce from 30 to nearly 100 employees.

In the company’s Series A release, it cites Space Force as meeting more than a decade to field an operational ground system in the current environment. Quindar is seeking to help operators manage satellites in the same manner as data centers, where intelligence is embedded across the stake.

“Our commercially proven common operating picture quickly integrates one satellite or thousands into the same constellation in a matter of days,” Hamet said in a release. “We can connect directly to spacecraft or through third-party mission operations centers, all while maintaining the observability, automation, and security needed for national defense. This investment enables us to support classified and unclassified missions alike — and to ensure that every operator, from startup to government, can fly with confidence.”

Qindar’s new classified facility will be located in the Denver metropolitan area, where the company’s corporate headquarters are located.

For Washington Harbour Partners, this investment follows its acquisition of a stake in debris tracking specialist Turion Space in the spring and investment in Critical Software.

Both Turion and Critical Software focus their services and solutions on space domain awareness and situational awareness, which are key aspects of space for the government as it increasingly turns to commercial satellite offerings.

“We're excited to welcome Quindar, whose work is advancing the next generation of U.S. space infrastructure, into our growing family of space innovators,” said Mina Faltas, founder and chief investment officer at Washington Harbour Partners. "With a focus on the nation’s most urgent security challenges, we are committed to investing in companies like Quindar that help strengthen America’s strategic edge.”