This article originally appeared in the March/April issue of Startups Magazine. Click here to subscribe

Meet the founder

Stepanova has always had an itch for the unknown, especially when it comes to space, which naturally led her to complete a PhD in theoretical mechanics. From here there was only one direction, up!

“This passion led me to aerospace, where I spent nine rewarding years working on satellite missions—12 of them, to be exact. From capturing snapshots of Earth to unravelling cosmic mysteries, each project was a thrilling adventure.”

This isn’t the first entrepreneurial rodeo for Stepanova either, “I caught the entrepreneurial bug not once, but three times, founding companies where I could channel my tech fascination into real-world solutions. Whether I was the CTO brainstorming in the tech trenches or leading as head of engineering, each venture was a chapter in my love story with technology.

“To me, being a founder is more than a title, it's a part of who I am. It's about pouring my heart into creating something that matters, pushing boundaries, and, hopefully, leaving a mark on the world. It's about the thrill of the challenge and the joy of seeing ideas come to life.”

Humble beginnings, big problems

The idea for AIRMO was a culmination of Stepanova’s interest in small satellites and the potential they held. For her, they had the capabilities to solve big problems here on Earth and that’s precisely what she set out to do. “I began to notice a clear need: people were asking for Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) data for things like checking carbon footprints, verifying emissions reports, and confirming carbon credits. But there was a problem—the available satellite data just wasn’t precise enough for these important tasks.”

It was here she crossed paths with Errico Armandillo, now Senior Space Optics and System Engineering Advisor at AIRMO, who added what was needed to make Stepanova’s ideas a reality. “He's pretty much spent his life working on LiDAR technology, which can be a super powerful tool for looking at Earth and studying the atmosphere. When we got talking, we realised we could create a mission that specifically catered to this need for better SWIR data.

“That’s how AIRMO came to be. It was the perfect mix of my passion for small satellites and Errico’s expertise in LiDAR. Together, we set out to give the world a clearer, more accurate picture of its environmental health. It just felt right, and I couldn’t be more excited about the positive impact we’re starting to make.”

What AIRMO delivers

With a team of 18 people, 13 full-time employees, spanning bright engineering and scientific minds, AIRMO is delivering GHG emissions monitoring, utilising satellite technology alongside micro-LiDaR and SWIR spectrometers to provide measurements in real-time, around the globe.

“AIRMO is offering an end-to-end solution for GHG emissions monitoring and climate risk management. Our service excels in global, accurate, and near real-time detection and analysis of Scope 1 emissions, leveraging satellite imagery from our proprietary constellation. We cater to a broad range of industries, offering emissions analytics, asset benchmarking, and an advanced alert system, facilitating informed decision-making and strategic environmental management,” explained Stepanova.

Whether it be the oil & gas sector, governments & regulatory bodies, or the financial & insurance sectors, AIRMO is delivering its GHG emissions monitoring solutions to a wide range of key industries.

Soaring ambitions, turbulent journeys

Like most startups, AIRMO has had quite the journey to where it finds itself now, and it hasn’t always been smooth sailing on the way up to the edge of space.

For Stepanova, “To grow from 4 people to 18 in 6 months while building tech and setting up customer relationships,” has been one of the toughest aspects of her journey so far. “But this sounds like a usual startup life,” she jests. Now that things are in order, Stepanova is happy to have her larger team behind her to manage the successes AIRMO have achieved, and the team only plans on growing in the future!

Speaking of successes, Stepanova was eager to share her favourite moment on the AIRMO journey. “Signing our very first customer contracts has to be one the best moments,” she enthused. Like most startup companies, securing the first customer for a new product is an integral part of the journey, especially so for anyone within the aerospace sector. It was this first contract that opened the gateway for AIRMO and has resulted in many more since.

Looking ahead

Whilst AIRMO’s primary mission lies within the oil & gas sector, giving companies within it the ability to precisely track GHG emissions in real-time, Stepanova and her team are looking to increasingly expand into other areas.

She explained: “AIRMO's main mission is to empower oil & gas companies with precise and real-time GHG emissions data to continuously monitor their assets and drive emissions reductions. But our journey has taught us that to truly increase our impact, we've come to understand the vital role of including regulatory bodies and financial organisations in our mission. This expansion allows us to support a wider ecosystem in making informed, environmentally responsible decisions.”

Expanding on these other points of interest will continue to not only grow AIRMO, but ultimately allow them to achieve their wider goals of a global net-zero future.