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Radical
YC W23Seattle, US · Founded 2022 · 6 employees · 11 known investors
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Radical Aero builds StratoSats, autonomous solar-powered aircraft that operate at 65,000 feet for extended periods to deliver persistent high-performance infrastructure. The company develops stratospheric platforms for communication and data services.
Also known as Radical Inc.
Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechDefense TechHardwareSpace TechDronesSatellitesAerospaceUnited States of AmericaAmerica / Canada
Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W23)
Radical was founded in 2022 by James Thomas and Cyriel Notteboom.
JT
James ThomasCo-Founder & CEOHe previously spent six years at Amazon Prime Air working on aerodynamics and aircraft design for delivery drones.
CN
Cyriel NotteboomCo-Founder & CTOHe previously spent six years at Amazon Prime Air working on mechanical design and structural analysis for delivery drones.
SJ
Simone JensenFounder
Investors · 11
Inflection.xyzlisted by Inflection.xyzBoston · $500K – $2M
How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us
Scout Ventureslisted by Scout VenturesAustin · $2M – $5M
How we know: Scout Ventures's portfolio page · the VCSheet dataset · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us
Y Combinatorlisted by Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K
How we know: the Y Combinator directory · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us
Andreessen HorowitzreportedMenlo Park · $500K – $50M
How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us
Bessemer Venture PartnersreportedSan Francisco · $50K – $100M
How we know: press coverage · Not right? Tell us
BoxGroupreportedNew York · $250K – $1M
How we know: press coverage · Not right? Tell us
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ConvictionreportedSan Francisco · $1M – $25M
How we know: press coverage · Not right? Tell us
Entrepreneur FirstreportedBengaluru · $1M – $7M
How we know: open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us
Radical VenturesreportedToronto · $1M – $25M
How we know: press coverage · Not right? Tell us
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements- Undisclosed amountSeedApr 2024Source ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Founder mafia
2 people who came through Radical went on to found or lead other companies.
Related companies · 10
AvincAV builds integrated defense systems for allied military operators, including unmanned aircraft, loitering munitions, counter-UAS systems, ISR, directed energy, and autonomy software across air, land, sea, and space domains. The company reports more than 50,000 deployments across over 55 countries.
ElodinElodin provides a cloud-based simulation platform for building autonomous systems, targeting developers and engineers creating satellites, drones, and robots. The company aims to make advanced autonomy tooling accessible and affordable to innovators in aerospace and robotics.
ExosatExosat designs and builds low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations for sovereign operators, offering direct-to-cell, IoT, and broadband connectivity. It uses ITAR/EAR-free supply chains to let operators lease network capacity or buy turnkey constellations, serving enterprise customers across sectors like maritime, aviation, logistics, and agriculture.
RadiaRadia is developing the WindRunner, an aircraft designed to carry oversized cargo—with roughly 10x the volume of a 777 and the ability to land on unpaved runways—for energy, defense, and other large cargo applications.
Zephyr FusionZephyr Fusion develops compact, in-orbit fusion power systems for space-based applications including microgravity manufacturing, data centers, defense, propulsion, and human habitation. The company leverages fusion technology to provide megawatt-class power generation for space industry customers.
WardstoneWardstone designs and plans to deploy a constellation of satellites equipped with sensors and kinetic interceptors to detect, predict, and counter hypersonic and ballistic missiles for U.S. military defense agencies. The system, called the Golden Dome, is intended to provide global missile defense capabilities across multiple domains of conflict for the Space Force, Air Force, Navy, and Missile Defense Agency.
Radian AerospaceRadian Aerospace is developing fully reusable spaceflight vehicles, including Radian One, a single-stage-to-orbit mission platform for routine access to Low Earth Orbit, and R3V, a reusable reentry capsule for hypersonic testing and rocket cargo. The company builds launcher-agnostic vehicles configurable for cargo, experiments, or custom payloads in the space industry.
AlbedoAlbedo develops a flight-proven platform for Very Low Earth Orbit operations, providing satellite-based insights and connectivity services for national security and critical infrastructure systems. The company focuses on making space infrastructure operationally viable and resilient.
PteroDynamicsPterodynamics develops the Transwing, an aircraft designed to support businesses seeking to reduce their operational environmental impact. The company targets sustainability-focused enterprises in the aerospace and transportation sectors.
WaveAerospaceWaveAerospace designs and builds unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) engineered for all-weather and high-wind operation, including multi-copter and VTOL platforms. Its aircraft serve law enforcement, emergency management, and defense missions such as ISR, search and rescue, and contested logistics.
Companies working in the same space as Radical.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureRadical Inc.
In the news
Frequently asked questions
- What does Radical do?
- Radical Aero builds StratoSats, autonomous solar-powered aircraft that operate at 65,000 feet for extended periods to deliver persistent high-performance infrastructure. The company develops stratospheric platforms for communication and data services.
- Who founded Radical?
- Radical was founded by James Thomas, Cyriel Notteboom in 2022.
- Who are Radical's investors?
- Radical's investors include Inflection.xyz, Scout Ventures, Scout Ventures, Y Combinator, Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, BoxGroup, Conviction and 3 more.
- Where is Radical headquartered?
- Radical is headquartered in Seattle, US.