Lockheed Martin invests US$1.1 million in Ottawa AI software startup

U.S. aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has announced a US$1.1 million investment in Ottawa-based Contextere.

Contextere, an emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) software company, will design, develop and deliver an intelligent personal agent for aerospace and defense maintenance personnel.

The system will be applicable in field service and industrial inspection activities as well as more complex maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) tasks.

Lockheed Martin is making this investment as part of their Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) obligation for the in-service support of the 17 CC-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, which were delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force in 2010.

“Our industrial software weaves together the power of enterprise AI with industrial IoT data to give blue collar workers the right information, at the right time on the right device,” said Gabe Batstone, Contextere CEO. “Working closely with Lockheed Martin engineers to refine and test our algorithms in the aerospace and defence environment, will enable us to transform the future of work anywhere warm hands touch cold steel.”

This strategic investment demonstrates Lockheed Martin’s commitment to working with emerging, innovative Canadian startups to solve critical business challenges. The partnership with Contextere speaks directly to the need to drive affordability and best value for customers at every level of the business.

“For Lockheed Martin, accelerating technology development and promoting a culture of innovation in Canada is critical to the success our business,” said Charles Bouchard, chief executive of Lockheed Martin Canada. “It is through our work with small, agile and responsive companies like Contextere that we are able to advance innovative thinking and the development of new technologies.”

www.contextere.com

www.lockheedmartin.com