Chris Newlands is a Scottish inventor, entrepreneur, and technologist, best known as the founder of Space Aye, a space technology company that integrates real-time satellite imagery with Internet of Things (IoT) data.

His team developed the “Large Terrestrial Model,” creating a proprietary training dataset that is set to transform the next generation of Artificial Intelligence models. Space Aye was launched to showcase how satellite technology can address critical challenges such as wildfires, deforestation, human trafficking, and emergency response coordination, providing real-time visibility not just of events but also of responders and their vehicles.

An advocate for standardization and interoperability in real-time satellite imagery, Chris has called for global frameworks to guide ethical and privacy-focused use of Earth observation data. He previously served as Co-Chair of the Open Geospatial Consortium’s UK & Ireland Forum. Through multiple international patents, Space Aye holds unique capabilities in identifying assets and people in real-time satellite imagery using IoT data.

Chris was awarded the title of GlobalScot by the Scottish Government and became a Professor of Practice in 2021. He is an affiliate member of the Scotland International Space Advisory Committee (SISAC), a member of the World Geospatial Industry Council, and participates in the World Economic Forum.

A sought-after keynote speaker, he has headlined events such as The Economist Space Economy Summit, IOT Tech Expo, and Expo 2020, and is a regular contributor to the BBC and Sky News on the commercialization of space. USA Today named him one of the world’s top five visionary speakers of 2025, while TechRound recognized him as one of the top five space entrepreneurs globally, and Geekwire named him a TechStar of 2025.