UK-based, Archangel Lightworks (Archangel) is building TERRA-M, a miniature & portable optical ground station, which enables secure, resilient & high-volume connectivity to & from space using laser-based communication (lasercom) (sometimes referred to as free space optics). (ps: on the secure-side, the startup closely collaborates with Singapore-based SpeQtral, which designs & manufacturers satellite-based quantum communication systems & provides it with end-to-end distribution of quantum encryption keys). <Quick primer on lasers: they can transfer 10-100x more info to & from satellites than radio waves (commonly used). They’re also cheaper (radio frequency spectrum is limited/ expensive) (lasers are license free) & safer from attacks and disruptions (e.g. a space-based lasercom internet won’t suffer from undersea cables linking continents...

Data moves across on-premises, cloud, hybrid & multi-cloud environments, but its “security posture doesn’t move with it”: for e.g. if data is encrypted in one environment & duplicated to a lower environment, it might be unencrypted now; another issue (with data movement) is that sensitive data gets abandoned & forgotten, creating vulnerable “shadow data”. Data & engineering teams are the ones moving this data around, “security should enable their work, not slow it down”. In comes Israel-based Sentra. The startup allows companies to find/ know where all of their sensitive data is (i.e. “no more shadow data”) & makes sure it always has the right security setting; if the data moves & security e.g. PII...