Kate van Dam Joins SkyFi as Head of Strategy
We are thrilled to announce that Kate van Dam is joining our team today as Head of Strategy!
This team grows more impressive by the day! Kate brings a remarkable skillset honed through a background in service and leadership. Following her graduation from the Naval Academy, she served ten years as an Attack Helicopter Pilot in the Marine Corps, leading dynamic combat missions worldwide. Kate leveraged high-resolution imagery and ground truth data to mitigate risk and align her missions with the broader strategic objectives.
Most recently, she was in charge of Agency Partnerships as Senior Director for In-Q-Tel, a Venture Capital firm that connects promising high-tech startups with the intelligence branches of the government. This strategic vision and her leadership prowess make her an invaluable asset. With Kate’s expertise, SkyFi is set to redefine the potential of earth observation data and deliver ground-breaking insights into your business’ greatest problems.
Welcome, Kate, to the next chapter of innovation and success.
Why SkyFi?
I believe SkyFi can change the way everyone, not just existing consumers, uses terrestrial imagery. Until my last job, I was ignorant to the different types of imagery, and I am excited to join a team that is socializing and educating new consumers every day. We all love our Apple Maps, google earth, etc., but what don’t we use imagery for that we could? And who isn’t using imagery that could? Information is power, and we all yearn to make evidence-based decisions. Therefore, providing a unique medium, historical access, and analytical tools to support better decisions, whether to a community planner, an NGO, or the real estate market — wherever you are and whatever you do, I believe SkyFi can meaningfully increase the confidence of your decisions, help you plan better, and enable engagement with our world in new and innovative ways.
What will your role be at SkyFi?
Head of Strategy. I will be responsible for integrating strategic opportunities into the product, while coordinating industry-leading best practices in geospatial technology. Additionally, I will diligently execute public safety and government initiatives to ensure their successful implementation.
What is the most exciting thing to you about SkyFi?
The partnerships. I met the SkyFi team a few months ago, and their energy and commitment to vision was infectious; I can’t wait to be part of that. I also love thinking of all the people who will use SkyFi — and am hopeful for the day we look back and wonder how we made decisions without it. Equally, I’m excited to keep working with and meeting new amazing visionary start-ups I have had the pleasure to get to know over the past several years — the innovators who are helping us see our world in ways (and often spectrums) most of us don’t know exist.
Do you have a favorite satellite image?
Munich International Airport
I chose this image of Munich International Airport because it was the first place my mom ever received a stamp in her passport when we traveled abroad together just a few years ago. Whenever I reflect on that adventure, it reminds me of why we as humans long to visit places we’ve never been, and return to places as familiar as home. Travel allows us to broaden our horizons and deepen our understanding of this world. SkyFi’s mission is to bring places both far and near to the palm of our hand, and like travel, allow us to experience our world in a new way. This is why I’m so excited to join the team, and I can’t wait to get started.