WindBorne Systems

Summary active Updated Aug 6, 2026

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Location Redwood Shores, CA
Founded 2019
Latest Stage Series B
Total Raised ~$52M+

Investors

Khosla Ventures series-b (2026)
Lux Capital series-b (2026)

Founders

John Dean Co-Founder & CEO
Kai Marshland Co-Founder
Paige Brocidiacono Co-Founder
Andrey Sushko Co-Founder
Joan Creus-Costa Co-Founder

About

WindBorne Systems is a Redwood Shores, California-based weather-intelligence company that operates Atlas, a global constellation of long-duration smart balloons paired with WeatherMesh, an AI weather-forecasting model 12. The company launches balloons from roughly 20 sites worldwide, deploying approximately 600 balloons that collect atmospheric data — including in remote areas and extreme weather zones — and combines that proprietary dataset with government agency inputs to power its forecasts 1. Founded in 2019 by John Dean, Kai Marshland, Paige Brocidiacono, Andrey Sushko, and Joan Creus-Costa, WindBorne raised a $37M Series B on 2026-08-05 co-led by Khosla Ventures and Galvanize at a $250M post-money valuation 13.

Funding History

Date Round Amount Lead Co-investors
2026-08-05 Series B $37M Khosla Ventures, Galvanize Translink Capital, Lux Capital 13

What Investors Say

“Better atmospheric data could transform weather forecasting. As AI models become increasingly capable, the quality of underlying observations becomes even more important.” — Sven Strohband, Partner & Managing Director, Khosla Ventures 45

“Climate change is increasing the cost of uncertainty. More accurate weather intelligence can help communities, businesses and governments make smarter decisions.” — Saloni Multani, Co-Head of Venture and Growth, Galvanize 4

What Founders Say

“When you add balloons to the forecast, you get more accurate forecasts, and the value per data point is much stronger than satellites.” — John Dean, CEO, WindBorne Systems 1

Sources


  1. TechCrunch, “AI makes weather prediction better. Can WindBorne make it lucrative?” August 5, 2026. Accessed August 2026. https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/05/ai-makes-weather-prediction-better-can-windborne-make-it-lucrative/

  2. WindBorne Systems, company website, accessed August 2026. https://windbornesystems.com

  3. Forbes Technology Council profile, “John Dean | CEO and Cofounder - WindBorne Systems,” accessed August 2026. https://councils.forbes.com/profile/John-Dean-CEO-Cofounder-WindBorne-Systems/b7c08e0a-847f-4200-883e-da0916d35883

  4. “WindBorne Systems Raises $37 Million Series B To Expand Atmospheric Sensing Network And AI Weather Models,” Pulse 2.0, August 5, 2026. Accessed August 2026. https://pulse2.com/windborne-systems-raises-37-million-series-b-to-expand-atmospheric-sensing-network-and-ai-weather-models/ — Independent trade press confirmation of $37M Series B co-led by Khosla Ventures and Galvanize with Translink Capital and Lux Capital participating. Sources verbatim investor quotes from Sven Strohband (Khosla) and Saloni Multani (Galvanize). 

  5. “WindBorne Systems Raises $37 Million to Build the World’s Weather Intelligence Infrastructure,” Las Vegas Sun (BusinessWire syndication), August 5, 2026. Accessed August 2026. https://lasvegassun.com/news/2026/aug/05/windborne-systems-raises-37-million-to-build-the-w/ — Third independent primary confirmation identifying Sven Strohband as Partner & Managing Director at Khosla Ventures.