Planet’s Commitment to Supporting Small Businesses

At Planet, we are passionate about empowering small businesses and nurturing an entrepreneurial spirit. Small businesses play a vital role in economic growth and job creation, yet they often face challenges in scaling, navigating complex government procurements, and accessing capital. Recognizing the importance of supporting these engines of innovation, we will continue to support small businesses in 2023 – from technology vendors to local food suppliers to software providers. We understand the immense potential of small businesses and are actively seeking new partnerships with disadvantaged, women-owned, veteran-owned, LGBTQIA+ communities, and historically underutilized business zone (HUBZone) companies. 

This commitment is in line with the U.S. Federal Government’s goal for 30% participation in subcontracting to small businesses in 2023. In 2022, Planet identified  approximately 115 small businesses to provide Planet with goods and services like core constellation management software, spacecraft components, and advanced machine learning capabilities. Take our work with an industry leading space electronics vendor and a space flight qualified thermal vendor – these two key small businesses are delivering essential space hardware for our spacecraft being developed today, and the deep collaboration between our teams allows us to quickly pivot as plans evolve in our manufacturing process. Further, we work with SpaceKnow’s state-of-the-art artificial intelligence to process terabytes of Planet’s high-frequency satellite imagery and extract actionable intelligence in near real-time. 

This year, we’re ready to do more and are seeking additional qualified vendors that provide: engineering services, professional training, data processing, electrical equipment and component manufacturing, testing laboratories, and instrument manufacturing. Our continued collaboration with small businesses has empowered us on our mission to help businesses, governments, researchers, and journalists better understand the physical world and take action. If you are interested in qualifying as a small business for inclusion on Planet’s sourcing lists, please contact us at small-business@planet.com 

Forward-looking Statements
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this blog post are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, the Company’s future commitments. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s management’s beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to them. Because such statements are based on expectations as to future events and results and are not statements of fact, actual results may differ materially from those projected. Factors which may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to the risk factors and other disclosures about the Company and its business included in the Company’s periodic reports, proxy statements, and other disclosure materials filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which are available online at www.sec.gov, and on the Company’s website at www.planet.com. All forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date such statements are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.