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This week, TDK Ventures, the venture capital arm of Japanese electronics firm TDK and a leading investor in global “hard tech” startups, announced that it is backing Divirod, a Boulder, Colorado-based climate tech startup. Divirod’s business is built around a proprietary system of sensors that assess risk to water levels, thus providing high-accuracy prediction analytics for water-related catastrophes.
Divirod’s global sensor network uses satellite input to generate analytics that provide decision makers, emergency services personnel, and insurers the real-time information they need to mitigate loss of life and high costs inflicted by such catastrophes. In an official statement from TDK Ventures, the firm characterized Divirod’s mission as being in alignment with their own digital transformation and sustainability tenets, and a key reason as to why it has partnered with the firm to bring its data-as-a-service (DaaS) model to market.
Per TDK, one of the best tools humanity can use to combat climate catastrophes is data; however, state-of-the-art predictive tools, such as weather forecasts, are limited. Weather predictions and forecasts lack high frequency and the validation of high-resolution “ground truth” (i.e., they have limited sensor input). Water-data sources are clearly sparse, antiquated, hardly ever in real time, and difficult to scale over a large area.
“It has become obvious that we can no longer afford to depend on outdated, sparse, and disparate monitoring networks to protect and warn our communities of the dangers of impending water disasters like floods,” said Divirod CEO Dr. Javier Marti. “The only way to mitigate the dangers and huge economic losses from water risks anywhere in the world is by understanding, anticipating, and planning for the unforeseen effects of extreme environmental water-risk events.”
Since recognizing these water risks in 2016, Divirod has designed a global radar system utilizing a satellite reflectometry technique that uses an advanced, proprietary sensor system to capture signals from satellites that bounce off the ground, creating a unique signature that correlates to characteristics of water on the surface.
Divirod’s cloud-based software interprets these reflections to generate hydrological models and 3D maps of the surfaces of water, snow, or soil moisture content, enabling it to monitor the possibility of impending catastrophes. A network of these sensors has already been installed around the globe; all of which work together to provide real-time data and resolutions never before seen.
“Divirod is an incredible solution to a very dire social-equity gap. Flood risks and climate dangers affect hundreds of thousands and even millions of individuals every year,” said TDK Ventures President Nicolas Sauvage. “Divirod has found a revolutionary way to enter the digital age for a sustainable benefit that can save lives with unit economics that will ensure ubiquitous coverage around the world. TDK Ventures is excited to partner with them and is determined to help Divirod accelerate its growth in any manner we can. The end results will be good for all of humanity, and that is exactly the kind of TDK Goodness we aim for.”
Divirod is already partnering with industry giants such as Deutsche Telekom, Thales, Global Omnium, with TDK Ventures joining as an early partner and a $1 million investment. Several businesses and municipalities are trusting Divirod to monitor their properties, shorelines, and reservoirs. The company plans to extend its services to smart irrigation and insurance industries in the near future.
Early investors in Divirod continue to be enthusiastic about the company’s prospects. “Our mission is to invest in outstanding entrepreneurs addressing the tremendous challenges and opportunities we are facing due to climate change,” said Founder and Managing Partner of Thin Line Capital, Aaron Fyke. “We are thrilled to have a global investor of the caliber of TDK Ventures join us on this journey.”
