Atmo

Atmo is a San Francisco-based company applying deep learning to weather forecasting for governments, defense organizations and weather-dependent industries. It ingests real-time Earth observation data from the majority of weather satellites, ground stations, radars and ocean buoys, and uses that data to continuously refine AI forecast models. The company states its forecasts are up to 50% more accurate than the most advanced existing forecasts across major prognostic and diagnostic variables, run up to 40,000 times faster than traditional numerical models, and reach resolutions as fine as 1km by 1km — roughly 100 times greater detail — enabling prediction for microclimates within larger climate regions. Forecast horizons range from nowcasting (24 hours) to medium-range (14 days). The company's site also references weather modification alongside forecasting.

Atmo was part of Y Combinator's Winter 2020 batch and describes itself as an AI meteorology company serving high-stakes users including the US Department of Defense, the US Air Force and Navy, top aerospace companies, the Philippines national government and the United Nations. Deployments referenced on its site are dated by region: Europe (2021), Nevada and San Francisco (2022), a global/Earth model (2023), and Cape Canaveral, the Philippines and Vietnam (2024). Applications cited include disaster response, renewable energy, agriculture, transportation and national security.

In June 2026 Vaisala Corporation, a Nasdaq Helsinki-listed measurement instrument and weather intelligence company, announced an agreement to acquire Atmo. Vaisala disclosed Atmo net sales of USD 2 million in 2025, contracted 2026 revenue of over USD 6 million, and that Atmo remains in its investment phase and is not yet EBIT profitable.

Founding story

Atmo was founded in 2020 and went through Y Combinator's Winter 2020 batch. CEO and co-founder Alexander (Alex) Levy previously co-founded Atomwise (YC W15), an AI small-molecule drug discovery company, and earlier led a computer vision research lab in the University of Toronto's Computer Science Department. Co-founder and CTO Johan Mathe spent eight years at Google, including work on planning and simulation for Google X's Project Loon, and was a founding team member of Caption Health (acquired 2023) and Apollo Fusion (2021).

Business model

Atmo sells AI-generated weather forecasting systems and forecasts to institutional buyers — national governments and meteorological agencies, militaries and defense organizations, and enterprises in weather-exposed sectors. Engagements include agreements with national bodies such as the Philippine Department of Science and Technology to develop high-resolution AI forecasting systems, and production forecast systems tailored to specific sites and environments.

Revenue derives from contracts with government, defense and enterprise customers for forecasting systems and services. Vaisala reported Atmo net sales of USD 2 million for 2025 and contracted revenue of more than USD 6 million for 2026.

Traction

Y Combinator lists Atmo as active with a team size of 10; Vaisala reported 20 US-based professionals at the time of the acquisition announcement. Customers and partners cited include the US Department of Defense, US Air Force and Navy, the Philippine government, Tuvalu and the United Nations. Net sales were USD 2 million in 2025 with over USD 6 million of contracted 2026 revenue. The company's technology was recognized by TIME as one of the best inventions of 2024, and it has been covered by The Economist, The Washington Post, Nikkei, Axios, The Times of London, Rappler and CNA.

Latest developments

On June 17, 2026 Vaisala announced a signed agreement to acquire Atmo for a fixed cash-and-debt-free price of USD 70 million, payable mainly at closing in cash and newly issued Vaisala series A shares (the share component equivalent to EUR 9 million), plus a contingent cash earn-out of up to USD 60 million tied to business performance and key-employee retention over 2026–2028. Twenty US-based professionals including the founders are to join Vaisala; closing is expected by the end of 2026 subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions. Vaisala disclosed Atmo current assets of USD 3.7 million and current liabilities of USD 1.8 million at the end of 2025.