TL;DR / Executive Summary
- Seraphim portfolio company ICEYE has partnered with AXA to provide real-time satellite data for disaster monitoring.
- AXA’s Digital Commercial Platform will use ICEYE’s SAR technology to predict and prevent extreme weather-related risks.
- The deal enhances ICEYE’s role in insurance and risk management, supporting a shift from crisis response to prevention.
- It marks a significant step in applying New Space technology to global resilience challenges.
AXA Digital Commercial Platform, a first-of-its-kind AI-powered all-in-one risk management system, has struck a landmark deal with ICEYE, the manufacturer and operator of the world’s largest synthetic aperture radar (SAR) microsatellite constellation.
AXA DCP, which combines bleeding-edge technology solutions with human expertise, is a ‘one-stop shop’ for solutions to a range of rising threats, including natural disasters, cybercrime, geopolitical shifts, and more. Thanks to its partnership with ICEYE – the global leader in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite operations and a key data supplier to a number of NATO members – it will be able to track floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and other extreme weather events with an unprecedented level of precision.
ICEYE’s SAR technology provides objective, near real-time insights day or night, even in challenging environmental conditions, for governments, defence forces, intelligence agencies, and commercial industries. These capabilities have established ICEYE as a key defence-intelligence partner to a number of NATO members, including Finland, Poland, and The Netherlands.
Its SAR satellites offer global coverage, frequent revisits, and high-resolution imaging down to around 25 cm. ICEYE also boasts expertise in combining SAR data with other forms of intelligence to provide flood analytics with extremely high precision.
The announcement comes at a crucial time. The world is in the grip of a ‘polycrisis’, where risks are interconnected, making them impossible to tackle in isolation and more difficult to manage overall. AXA DCP takes a holistic approach that emphasises prediction and prevention over response. Its suite of solutions allows its clients to anticipate crises and take action to avoid costly harm.
Pierre du Rostu, CEO of AXA DCP, said the agreement with ICEYE was a ‘landmark deal’.
‘We are responding to the challenge of the polycrisis by evolving. Our goal is to make use of the very best solutions available to move beyond response to prediction and prevention.
‘ICEYE is a world leader in monitoring natural catastrophes and provides the real-time insights our clients require even when it is dark, when there are clouds, when there is dust, smoke, or volcanic ash.
‘We are pleased to be able to combine our expertise with their proprietary data to support our clients and wider society. This is a clear reflection of our ongoing commitment to using state-of-the-art technology to transform insurance.’
Stephen Lathrope, SVP Solutions at ICEYE, said:
‘Scaling access to ICEYE’s advanced SAR technology through AXA DCP is a transformative step for the insurance and risk management sector. It enables organisations to harness cutting-edge innovation at scale, unlock new insights, and fundamentally change how they prepare for, respond to, and recover from catastrophic events. Together, we are helping unlock new insights and strengthen catastrophe response strategies.’
