In today’s unpredictable defence landscape, the need for quick, reliable, and accurate electromagnetic spectrum awareness has reached unprecedented levels. Modern military operations across multiple domains, including air, land, sea, cyber, and space, face constant threats from signal interference, jamming, and communication disruptions. Traditional spectrum monitoring methods simply can’t keep up with the speed and flexibility required for effective multi-domain warfare.
Quadsat is emerging as a key player in this space. The Denmark-based company develops spectrum intelligence and RF geolocation solutions that help defence agencies identify threats and navigate complex operational environments.
The company recently received a significant boost to its vision. Quadsat announced a €5 million extension to its Series A funding round, led by Join Capital and North Ventures, with participation from existing investors including Seraphim Space Capital and the Danish Export and Investment Fund.
This funding will accelerate Quadsat’s growth in the rapidly evolving defence sector, enhance its technology, and strengthen its presence in key NATO countries, where spectrum resilience and electronic warfare preparedness are becoming increasingly critical.
Behind Quadsat: The founders’ story
Quadsat didn’t start as a military contractor but emerged from a friendship and late-night brainstorming session between two international students at VIA University College in Denmark.
In an exclusive conversation with TFN, CEO Joakim Espeland shares, “Andrian Buchi and I met at university, where we were both studying Mechanical Engineering. I was a little older, having previously worked in the oil and gas industry, where I installed and maintained maritime VSAT antennas. We instantly clicked over our passion for technology and innovation. Though I’m from Norway and Andrian is from Moldova, we ended up on a joint university project that formed the foundation of Quadsat.”
The entrepreneurial spark came after an inspiring university presentation. Espeland recalls, “Quadsat was conceived over a bottle of wine at my dorm after we attended a university talk on entrepreneurship. Having seen firsthand how laborious and disruptive traditional satellite antenna testing was, often requiring entire ships to leave port for sea trials just to check antenna functionality, I realised a drone-based system could transform the process. We brainstormed a way to replace the sea trial with a drone emulating the satellite, allowing antenna testing without halting port operations.” This original concept remains central to Quadsat’s technology, even as the company has expanded from its marine origins to embrace aerospace and defence.
For Espeland, transforming Quadsat from a student project into a viable business was driven by personal experience as much as market need. “Before my studies, I worked in oil and gas, maintaining communications equipment. I observed how challenging it was to ensure satellite communications functioned correctly in the field, such as testing that involved taking ships to specific sites. This slow and costly process disrupted crucial operations. Meanwhile, equipment failures threatened safety and effectiveness. This pain point led us to seek a better solution. Once we realised how much value we could create, we committed to making it real.”
The company takes pride in its diverse team. Espeland says, “Gender diversity remains challenging for technology companies, but we’re working to address this. When it comes to ethnicity, we’ve achieved an excellent level of diversity, with 22 nationalities represented in our team of 46.”
Addressing critical market gaps in defence and satcoms
The defence sector’s need for advanced spectrum awareness is both urgent and growing. “Military operators need certainty amid the chaos of modern warfare. If you can’t see where signals of interest are, you can’t act accordingly,” Espeland explains.
Modern operations span thousands of kilometres and face overwhelming environmental, technical, and enemy countermeasures, making persistent battlefield surveillance extremely resource-intensive. “With frontlines saturated by intentional jamming and spoofing, and many platforms limited in range or vulnerable to interference, achieving situational certainty is incredibly difficult,” says Espeland.
Quadsat’s solution is specifically designed to address these challenges. Its compact, system-agnostic payloads enable quick deployment and integration into existing command structures. “Our compact design simplifies transport, setup, and redeployment, making it ideal for expeditionary forces and forward-operating units,” Espeland says. “Our system integrates seamlessly with existing defence infrastructure and supports various platforms, reducing both cost and complexity.”
The platform enables precise detection, classification, and localisation of hostile signals, significantly enhancing counter-jamming and countermeasure strategies in multi-domain operations. “By scanning a wider field of view, we help our customers precisely detect and analyse signals of interest, wherever those threats may be.”
Commercial satellite operators face significant challenges of their own. “Poor performing equipment is one of the biggest causes of errors in the satcoms industry,” Espeland notes. Current testing often requires shipping antennas to centralised test chambers at considerable cost and delay. Site-based tests using celestial sources or RF beacons have limitations in accuracy, complexity, and practicality.
“Quadsat has revolutionised antenna testing by mounting a satellite-emulating payload onto a drone. Tests can be conducted anywhere,” he explains. This innovation, Espeland points out, delivers more accurate and actionable data by accounting for real-world environmental conditions, creating a significant improvement for both commercial satellite operators and military users.
Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) presents another persistent challenge for commercial and military satellite operators. Quadsat’s system significantly reduces the time needed to pinpoint interference sources. “Existing geolocation tools might narrow down the area to several hundred square kilometres. Sometimes that’s sufficient, but often it isn’t. With our solution, we scan the spectrum on the ground and use drone-mounted measurements to quickly and efficiently locate the precise source.”
What’s next for Quadsat?
Quadsat’s competitive edge lies in its flexibility, simplicity, and accuracy. Espeland clearly articulates their differentiation: “No one is doing exactly what we’re doing. There are other test and measurement companies, such as Rohde & Schwarz and LS Telkom, as well as major defence players including Terma, Thales, and Saab. But our custom-built, platform-agnostic payload, which provides field-accurate spectrum intelligence and testing anywhere, gives us a unique value proposition.”
For Quadsat, the latest funding will accelerate their already impressive momentum. “We’ve made important strides in the satcoms industry, with major operators incorporating our solutions into their standard testing procedures. Our goal is to become the global gold standard for satellite antenna testing,” says Espeland.
The company sees remarkably rapid growth potential in the defence sector. “There’s huge potential for Quadsat’s technology to transform multi-domain operations for military organisations,” he emphasises. “This investment will help us accelerate our expansion into the evolving defence market and further develop solutions for both current and future needs.”
With this strategic investment and the support of its diverse, globally-minded team, Quadsat is well-positioned to set new standards for spectrum intelligence and electronic warfare operations. “In electronic warfare, clarity saves lives. Our technology transforms battlefield chaos into actionable intelligence,” Espeland says. “We’re ready for what comes next.”
