HERNDON, Va. – HawkEye 360 Inc. today announced CEO John Serafini has been nominated for the most prestigious award in the satellite industry, Via Satellite’s 2021 Satellite Executive of the Year Award. Serafini has pioneered an entirely new market, transitioning HawkEye 360 from an early-stage concept into the unquestioned leader for commercial space-based radio frequency (RF) mapping. This new RF geospatial intelligence is empowering global customers to address national security threats and environmental and societal crimes such as illegal fishing and drug trafficking.
“I am deeply honored to be considered for this award and to be placed in the company of the distinguished industry pioneers who have been nominated in the past,” said Serafini. “This nomination is only possible thanks to the entire HawkEye 360 team. This group — now over 130 members — succeeds meaningfully every single day with their talent, drive and innovation. Great things are ahead.”
Under Serafini’s leadership, HawkEye 360 completed a pivotal year of growth and maturation. In 2021, the company raised $205 million through two venture funding rounds, launched six new next-generation satellites, introduced a new commercial software platform for RF GEOINT analysis, and closed contracts with potential value in excess of $50 million, including a 5-year contract with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
Having served as an Airborne Ranger-qualified U.S. Army infantry officer, Serafini has a deep-rooted desire to protect the global commons and an extensive history maturing national security-oriented technology companies. As a national security technology-oriented venture capitalist and start-up operator for nearly twenty years, Serafini has become a thought leader in the “new space” community, speaking regularly at conferences and encouraging the US government to embrace the value offered by commercial capabilities.
2021 Satellite Executive of the Year nominees are chosen for durable contributions made to the global satellite market including innovative technologies, best practices, important services, or any combination of these. Likewise, it recognizes lasting contributions of their achievements.
The winner will be determined by a combination of the Via Satellite editorial team, including Editorial Director, Mark Holmes, and votes that come directly from industry. The public can vote for John Serafini online.
“Via Satellite‘s Satellite Executive of the Year award, won last year by SpaceX’s Gwynne Shotwell for the second time, is the gold standard for individual awards in our industry. This year’s nominees are the most diverse we have ever had and cover a broader range of the industry than ever before,” said Mark Holmes, Editorial Director of Via Satellite. “We have a great set of nominees, that I have no doubt will surprise some people, but behind each nominee, there is a great story.”
Voting closes at noon ET on March 22. The winner will be announced at SATELLITE 2022 on Wednesday, March 23 at the Via Satellite Awards Luncheon, which is open to all conference-level attendees. Register for SATELLITE here and press can register here.
For more information on the award, or to vote for John Serafini, please visit https://www.satellitetoday.com/vote.
About HawkEye 360
HawkEye 360 is a Radio Frequency (RF) data analytics company. We operate a first-of-its-kind commercial satellite constellation to identify, process, and geolocate a broad set of RF signals. We extract value from this unique data through proprietary algorithms, fusing it with other sources to create powerful analytical products that solve hard challenges for our global customers. Our products include maritime domain awareness and spectrum mapping and monitoring; our customers include a wide range of commercial, government and international entities.
