October 12, 2026
US Air Force buys WindBorne balloon data: nearly $50 million contract
Startup WindBorne won a contract worth almost $50 million from the US Air Force for data from its balloons. The company collects weather data with balloons and uses AI to predict the weather.
Data, not a model. The contract is for balloon data, so the customer's value lies in the measurements the balloons take in the air, and AI turns them into a forecast.
Next: the first data deliveries under the contract and how the Air Force uses them.