Astraea to expand in Charlottesville

Technology startup Astraea plans to expand its Charlottesville operations and create 31 jobs.

The company expects to invest $1 million on the project, according to Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

Founded in September 2016, Astraea applies advanced data science and machine learning to image and sensor data gathered from earth-observing satellites. The goal is to identify and predict real-time changes in land use, traffic patterns, land and water quality and environmental trends.

Virginia competed against California, Colorado and Montana for the project.

“Charlottesville, and Virginia in general, are deep pools of data-science talent, which is critical to our success,” Brendan Richardson, Astraea CEO and co-founder, said in a statement. “Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming industries across the globe, and Charlottesville is an emerging leader in M.L. and predictive analytics which are the underpinning for A.I. We have a wealth of data- science talent here and it’s easy to recruit talent to Charlottesville given its strong reputation in this area and the amazing quality of life in Central Virginia.”  

Astraea is eligible to receive $1,000 per job, up to $31,000, from the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which provides consultation and funding for companies creating new jobs or experiencing technological change.