Sometimes, the best way to get information about subterranean infrastructure is without breaking ground. Exodigo today announced the commercial availability of its non-intrusive mapping platform to help businesses in the U.S. and Israel make more informed decisions before they begin design, construction, or resource excavation. The Tel Aviv, Israel-based company also announced $29 million in seed funding.
Exodigo said its system combines advances in sensors, 3D imaging, and artificial intelligence for the construction, mining, and utility industries. The company's leadership has experience in AI and signal processing from Israeli intelligence units.
“It is time to finally break ground on a safer, more sustainable and infinitely more precise method for subterranean discovery,” stated Jeremy Suard, co-founder and CEO of Exodigo. “Our powerful combination of advanced sensor technologies and proprietary AI platform provides users with a safe, fast way to get a complete view of what lies beneath the surface with unprecedented precision.”
Sensors, drones can help avoid hazards
Every year, more than $100 billion is spent on unnecessary excavation and drilling in an attempt to avoid hitting gas pipelines, water sources, oil, and other potential hazards hidden beneath the surface, estimated Exodigo. The constant use of heavy equipment creates avoidable greenhouse gas emissions, wastes billions of dollars per year, and causes spills and explosions that can cost lives, said the company.
Damage to critical U.S. infrastructure results in $30 billion in societal costs per year, estimated the Common Ground Alliance.
Exodigo said its sensor system eliminates the need for exploratory excavation by quickly creating a digital, geolocated, 3D map of buried assets—from man-made pipes and cables to soil layers, rocks, minerals, and even groundwater across any terrain. Carried by drones or small carts, the platform can eliminate the need for exploratory excavation and “de-risk” the discovery process, enabling smart drilling and sustainable operations, said the company.
To get high-quality, detailed images, Exodigo uses AI for low signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) in “noisy” environments. The startup said it has succeeded in merging underground signals into a single matrix to deliver a combined picture of what lies under the surface. It claimed that this has never been done before.
“Ending the era of blind digs, Exodigo gives companies an accurate, easy-to-understand map of what lies beneath the surface—empowering their teams to save time, money, and lives,” Suard said. “Think of it like combining the scanning power of an MRI, CT scan, and ultrasound all into one image of what is beneath the ground.”
Tidhar Construction was among Exodigo's investors. “Traditional underground discovery techniques are grossly outdated and incredibly inaccurate,” said Gil Geva, CEO of Tidhar. “Exodigo is the future of underground mapping. Led by a team with unequaled experience, Exodigo will solve costly, and at times devastatingly catastrophic, problems that have plagued developers and engineers for decades.”
Investors, partners join board of directors
Zeev Ventures and 10D Ventures led Exodigo's seed funding, with participation from SquarePeg Capital and JIBE Ventures. Strategic industry leaders Tidhar Construction, Israel Canada and WXG Ltd. also joined the round.
Yahal Zilka of 10D and Oren Zeev of Zeev Ventures have joined Exodigo's board of directors to provide continued support and speed its market penetration by making connections throughout their industry networks.
“The Exodigo team has a huge potential and the right passion and background to solve the complicated problem ahead of them,” said Zeev, founding partner of Zeev Ventures.
Zilka, managing partner at 10D Ventures, added: “Upon meeting the exceptional Exodigo team, we quickly realized and understood their unique domain expertise that to the best of our knowledge is non-existent anywhere in the world. The company is positioned to create a totally new category with its nonintrusive subsurface mapping.”
“Opening up visibility to what's underground is a new superpower that will help organizations save billions, while also significantly reducing environmental damage,” added Philippe Schwartz, managing partner at SquarePeg.
Exodigo demo and growth plans
In its first live demonstration, Exodigo said it showed that its system can safely and accurately identify underground utilities, abandoned lines, and ground layers in a remote, unmapped area.
“Offering next-generation noninvasive subsurface imaging, Exodigo delivers precise and complete data faster than other solutions,” noted Asaf Touchmair, owner and chairman of the board at Israel Canada. “Exodigo can help businesses avoid unexpected consequences like spills and explosions that cost millions of dollars each year and lost time [from] accidents.”
Exodigo said it will use the seed funding to build a California-based team to support its expansion and commercial rollout in the U.S. The company plans to begin pilot projects in California, Florida, and Texas in the coming weeks.
Article topics
Email Sign Up
Related Drones News
