HERNDON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–BlackSky Holdings, Inc., a leading technology platform providing real-time geospatial intelligence and global monitoring, today announced that it has hired Andy Stephenson to oversee the company’s global sales team as its Vice President of International Business Development. Mr. Stephenson will be based in the United Kingdom, where he will lead the expansion of BlackSky’s international sales efforts.
“With more than thirty years of experience as a sales leader in the defense and intelligence, technology, and information sectors, Andy is an ideal candidate to help BlackSky meet the increasing demand for geospatial intelligence worldwide,” said Brian E. O’Toole, CEO of BlackSky. “He will be instrumental in leading BlackSky’s international development activities to ensure customers around the world understand and have access to actionable insights that give them a first-to-know advantage.”
“I’m thrilled to lead BlackSky’s business development efforts and extend the company’s sales team abroad,” said Andy Stephenson, vice president of international business development at BlackSky. “International markets are hungry for rapid access to real-time situational awareness and actionable intelligence. BlackSky is well-positioned to help customers in Europe and beyond meet these needs.”
Mr. Stephenson joins BlackSky after serving as vice president of international sales and customer success at Preligens, a company that develops artificial intelligence solutions for defense and intelligence customers. Previously, he was the senior director for defense, intelligence for the Asia-Pacific and European regions, and strategic international government programs for Maxar Technologies’ European market. Mr. Stephenson has also held sales leadership roles at companies in the information technology and telecommunications sectors.
Earlier this year, BlackSky announced a planned business combination with Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: SFTW). BlackSky currently anticipates closing the transaction during the third quarter of 2021.
About BlackSky Holdings, Inc.
BlackSky is a leading provider of real-time geospatial intelligence. BlackSky monitors activities and facilities worldwide by harnessing the world’s emerging sensor networks and leveraging its own satellite constellation. BlackSky processes millions of data elements daily from its constellation as well as a variety of space, IoT, and terrestrial-based sensors and data feeds. BlackSky’s on-demand constellation of satellites can image a location multiple times throughout the day. BlackSky monitors for pattern-of-life anomalies to produce alerts and enhance situational awareness. BlackSky’s monitoring service, Spectra AI, is powered by cutting-edge compute techniques including machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision, and natural language processing. BlackSky’s global monitoring solution is available via a simple subscription and requires no IT infrastructure or setup. On February 17, 2021, BlackSky entered into a definitive agreement for a business combination (the “Merger Agreement”) with Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp. (“Osprey”) (NYSE: SFTW) that would result in BlackSky becoming a publicly listed company. For more information visit www.blacksky.com.
About Osprey
Osprey is a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, that was established as a collaboration between investment firms HEPCO Capital Management, led by Jonathan and Edward Cohen, and JANA Partners, led by Barry Rosenstein and with its SPAC initiative led by JANA Partner David DiDomenico, who serves as Osprey’s CEO, President, and Director. Osprey was formed to consummate a transaction with one or more transformative companies that have developed innovative software delivery platforms. For more information visit www.osprey-technology.com.
