Spectral GPR is an innovative device similar in operation to Google Street View. However, it operates underground, bringing with it enormous potential for applications.
It all started with a “golden train” that disappeared 80 years ago somewhere between Breslau and Walbrzych. It was with it that the Nazis wanted to transport looted treasures during World War II, but it eventually vanished into thin air. The subject was revived when two treasure hunters initiated a GPR search for it in 2015 but to no avail.
The origins of the company
Andrzej Kulak, a physicist at the AGH University of Science and Technology, concluded that a better tool could be developed. It sparked the creation of Widmo Spectral Technologies in 2017. The company built Spectral GPR, which allows precise terrain scanning to a depth of 50-60 meters. It includes not only the geological structure of the site but also the location of underground infrastructure. There are gas pipes, waterways or electric cables.
The company’s beginnings were difficult because the GPR industry is niche. The SMB market can absorb at least 5,000 devices annually for €80,000 each. Nevertheless, after just one year, Widmo gained support from INNOventure. By 2022, it had raised €5 million for development from various funds and grants.
International expansion
The startup is currently one of the most promising DeepTech projects in Poland. Receiving €5.5 million in funding from the EU’s EIC Accelerator program in 2023, it plans to continue developing the technology and educating the market. The ultimate goal is to become a key construction, mining, and architecture company supplier.
The company is already working with construction corporations in Japan and has begun expansion in Canada. It does not sell the equipment itself for now, offering instead geophysical, as well as data processing and analysis services based on the equipment. Although annual revenues are only €160,000, the company is gaining recognition in various market segments. It provides a solid basis for further development.
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