SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)

What better success story than turning university research into a fast-growing technology company?

Emirati entrepreneur Dr Ali Al Hammadi, founder and CEO of Stellaria, has done just that. Research in artificial intelligence and computational modelling at Khalifa University evolved into Stellaria, a geospatial technology company now deploying satellite-based solutions in the UAE and beyond.

The company is also seeing strong commercial growth. Its revenue so far in 2026 has exceeded eight times its total revenue for 2025.

In an interview with Aletihad, Dr Al Hammadi said that Stellaria technology combines satellite imagery and AI to support applications including coastal and maritime monitoring, infrastructure and environmental assessment.

The research at the university involved using advanced models to understand complex systems and extract useful information from data. The commercial opportunity emerged from applying these capabilities to satellite imagery and real-world challenges.

The company initially focused on agriculture and environmental monitoring through “Farmin” before expanding into maritime monitoring, infrastructure and other geospatial applications.

For Dr Al Hammadi, commercialising the research required moving beyond whether a technology simply worked. “The research provided the foundation; building a company meant turning that foundation into something customers could use.”

Moving the research into real-world deployment required developing the technology and business in parallel, Dr Al Hammadi said. This included platform upgrades, customer trials, and preparations for wider adoption.

“The first important step was defining a practical problem,” he said. This meant identifying the user, the information they needed and the decision the technology would support. The team then tested its methods against real observations.

Estimating Water Depth, Mapping the Seabed

In UAE coastal-mapping trials, for example, modelled water depths were compared with reference measurements.

“The final step was building a usable system around the models,” he said, turning the technology into a practical product with accessible results and quality checks.

In Abu Dhabi, Stellaria is using satellite observations and AI to estimate water depth and map the seabed.

"One example is our work on satellite-derived bathymetry in Abu Dhabi, using satellite observations and AI to estimate water depth and produce maps of the seabed. It is a practical application of advanced modelling to coastal and maritime needs," Dr Al Hammadi explained.

"The practical value is supporting coastal mapping and helping users assess where further investigation or detailed surveying may be needed.” The technology, as per Dr Al Hammadi, has evolved from individual AI models into an integrated platform. Today, the Stella Platform combines satellite imagery, data and specialised models to produce maps, analysis and reports.

"We have also developed proprietary capabilities such as Meruem, our satellite-image enhancement technology, while working towards more conversational ways for users to interact with geospatial information," he added.

The technology has evolved from a single method into an integrated workflow.

This allows customers to focus on what has changed and what requires attention, rather than managing different models and tools. The focus is now on clear, actionable insights. “We are improving the models while also making the overall system more useful, understandable and dependable.”

Khalifa University played a central role in helping Stellaria move from research to market, Dr Al Hammadi said. The company is part of the Khalifa Innovation Center and Khalifa University Enterprise Company portfolio. “Khalifa University’s leadership and support have been central to our journey,” he said.

The Center has provided a grant tied to technical and commercial milestones, alongside access to potential customers. Stellaria later benefitted from the UAE Space Agency’s GeoTech Innovation Programme and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund’s Innovation Accelerator.

Support, also, helps turn research into a tested, market-ready business.

“Those connections are essential to turning technical promise into practical applications,” Dr Al Hammadi said.

Stellaria’s experience shows that commercialisation should develop alongside university research, Dr Al Hammadi indicated.

Also, researchers need opportunities to test ideas in real settings, understand market needs, as well as work with people who have technical and commercial expertise, he added.

“A promising result is the beginning of that process, not the end.”

Dr Al Hammadi added that Stellaria is expanding beyond the UAE, with international projects expected to contribute more to its growth, moving from technical demonstrations to wider commercial deployment.

"My ambition is for Stellaria to show that a company can remain research-driven while building useful products, developing local expertise and pursuing international markets," he said.