How Helios Wire is Taking the IoT into Space

Helios Wire CEO Scott Larson talks about the upcoming launches of the company’s satellites and how they are taking the internet of things to space.

Helios Wire CEO Scott Larson: My name is Scott Larson and I’m the CEO of a company called Helios Wire.
Please tell us about Helios Wire’s internet of things network.
SL: At Helios Wire, we’re building a satellite-enabled internet of things network. What that means is that we have spectrum. Spectrum is the right to send data from earth to space and our business model is to enter into the internet of things market using that spectrum.
What are three important things investors should know about your company?
Some things that investors want to know about Helios is that we’re based in Vancouver, Canada, and we have our first satellite being launched this Christmas. It’s a small, demonstration-type satellite. We have two more satellites being launched next fall, which are our first two commercial satellites. They are about 25 kilograms each — they’re small, about the size of a backpack. From the startup standpoint, we are spending a lot of time working on the technology, the ground segment and, most importantly, getting in front of customers. Right now, we have about $35 million worth of letters of interest and letters of intent signed by customers all around the world.
What is one factor that makes your company unique?
SL: One of the things that makes us really unique is that we operate within the satellite-enabled portion of the internet of things market. Typically, when you think about satellites, the CapEx some of the other companies in this industry are spending is in the billions. Because of how we’re engineering our satellites, because of the way space has changed a little bit, we can enter that market at not just five percent or 10 percent cheaper than some of the other companies, but at literally a fraction of the cost. So rather than charging hundreds of dollars per year from one of our competitors, we can offer a service to customers that truly is five percent of the cost.
What major near-term milestones or catalysts should investors be on the lookout for?
SL: Our first satellite can be launched this Christmas. We have two more satellites being launched next fall. Then, over the next two or three years, we’re going to launch the rest of the constellation, and ultimately end up with about 30 satellites operating globally, all whipping around the earth picking up data from remote assets in the farming, agricultural, oil and gas and transportation industries. This is what the internet of things is good for. It is what the satellite portion of the internet of things is good for. It’s to collect data from pieces of equipment, devices, machines that are remote. Our plan is to launch a couple of satellites next year and then roll out the rest of the constellation as revenue increases and as the market demands.
What factors prompted you to enter into this particular industry?
SL: The space is booming right now; there are all kinds of investment opportunities in space and we happen to fit into that. My background is in space, I was one of the co-founders of a company called Earth Gas which is another Canadian space entity. And so, when it comes down to communications, when it comes down to the internet of things, space is an industry that is actually fit to be disrupted. Other companies are spending billions, we have the opportunity to come in with much less CapEx and offer a good enough type of service to the market and capture a significant portion of the industry.