Perigee: right data at the right time

Despite increases since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, most NGOs still only generate 5% of their donations through digital channels. Living in a fast-paced digital age with non-stop access to the internet, this seems too little.

Non-profit organisations are struggling to reach new audiences and compete with the high-profile marketing initiatives of the commercial sector. Traditional measures - such as contacting donor databases or focusing on direct mail initiatives - fail to appeal to younger generations. In a 24-hour news cycle driven by social media and microcontent, non-profits struggle to individualise their efforts. While reach steadily decreases, the cost of traditional outreach remains. 

It is important to gain attention in the flood of information that people are confronted with in the digital world. To do so, the Austrian tech start-up Perigee, which was incubated in ESA BIC Austria and now received the ESA Spark Funding Austria, wants to move away from generic targeting that only focuses on certain demographics. Instead, the start-up finds out what really moves people through data analysis with the help of AI. Perigee is the direct connection between humanitarian aid organisations and the people who are interested in certain emergencies. The start-up’s algorithm analyses data describing global online behaviour to determine which humanitarian emergencies receive particularly low or high levels of attention from individuals. Perigee finds the emergencies themselves through satellite data, emergency databases, and analysis of media coverage. If the awareness is high, organisations can quickly identify and contact potential donors, for instance through social media. If the awareness is low, organizations find useful information and material, such as satellite imagery, to generate interest. Perigee can also identify donors for events with less awareness. This is untapped potential: to easily reach audiences talking about events with less visibility in the media.

Wouldn’t it be easier to know in advance whether your direct mail, poster or TV campaigns will attract the interest of potential donors? With its brand-new product line PIPA (Public Interest Prediction Algorithms) Perigee wants to give fundraisers the first tool that will allow them to inform their strategy beforehand. With PIPA, the users can see how interest in a natural event, disease outbreak or political conflict is likely to change in the coming hours, days and possibly even weeks. This will reduce campaign costs and optimise workforce capacity. In addition, Perigee provides evidence to leading global aid agencies about the scale or severity of humanitarian emergencies. As with the core product, Perigee uses a range of satellite-based emergency services such as COPERNICUS EMS to trigger a range of social analytics.

About ESA Spark Funding Austria

ESA Spark Funding Austria is a funding program implemented by Science Park Graz / ESA Space Solutions Austria in collaboration with ESA Space Solutions and the Austrian Aeronautics and Space Agency (FFG/ALR). In the program, Austrian companies can receive zero-equity funding of € 50,000.00 to integrate space technology or space assets/services into existing product lines or create entirely new products/services. The first call was implemented in 2021, and a new one will be launched in 2023.

A big thanks to the author of this article: Aigerim Rabl