# Swarm Technologies **Swarm Technologies** was a Silicon Valley startup that built a network of very small satellites, called SpaceBEEs, to relay small amounts of data from sensors and other devices in places with no cell service, at prices starting around $5 a month per device. It was founded in 2016 by Sara Spangelo, a former NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer, and Benjamin Longmier, a former University of Michigan aerospace professor. [[SpaceX]] agreed to buy it in July 2021. **Why it's on the map:** Swarm's main funding round was led by [[Sky Dayton]] and [[David Sacks]]'s firm, [[Craft Ventures]], which was already a SpaceX investor. The company ended up inside SpaceX three years later. It is one of the investments that tie Dayton, a large donor to Sacks's political committee, to Sacks's business circle and to [[Elon Musk]]'s companies. It is also known for launching satellites after federal regulators had refused permission. ## Launching without permission The [[FCC]] turned down Swarm's application to launch its first four test satellites in December 2017, saying it doubted they could be tracked reliably in orbit. Swarm launched them anyway in January 2018, as passengers on an Indian rocket, and talked to them for more than a week from ground stations in Georgia. The FCC investigated, and on December 20, 2018, Swarm agreed to pay a $900,000 penalty, follow a compliance plan and give the agency advance notice of its launches for three years. It was believed to be the first time a U.S. company had launched satellites after being denied a license. ## The money On January 24, 2019, Swarm announced a $25 million Series A round led by Craft Ventures and Sky Dayton, with Social Capital, 4DX Ventures and NJF Capital also investing. It had raised about $28 million in all. The round valued the company at about $85 million, according to PitchBook data reported by CNBC. ## Sold to SpaceX - **The deal.** SpaceX and Swarm signed a merger agreement on July 16, 2021. It became public only on August 6, when the companies asked the FCC to move Swarm's satellite and ground station licenses to SpaceX. The price was not disclosed at the time. The space-industry newsletter Payload later put it at $524 million. - **What SpaceX wanted.** The filing said SpaceX would gain Swarm's intellectual property and its team of about 30 people. Swarm then had about 120 satellites in orbit. - **The end of the network.** In July 2023 Swarm stopped selling new devices. Its founders became senior directors at SpaceX, where Spangelo co-led the [[Starlink]] Direct to Cell service that connects ordinary phones to satellites. Swarm's own satellite service was shut down in 2025. ## Connections - [[SpaceX]] · [[Starlink]] · [[Elon Musk]] - [[Craft Ventures]] · [[David Sacks]] · [[Sky Dayton]] - [[FCC]]