Wingbits Q1 2025 Log: Reaching New Heights
Ray Buckton
April 3, ‘25
The year is already flying by at a rapid pace.
The first quarter of 2025 was defined by remarkable network and team growth, new funding milestones, and a satellite launch, making the Wingbits network truly out of this world.
All this progress has further pushed Wingbits towards the forefront of aviation data services. As the first incentivized flight tracking network, we’re showing the world the power of combining DePIN and aviation.
$5.6M in Funding to Further Fuel the Network
We kicked off January with exciting news – Wingbits completed a $5.6 million funding round led by Borderless Capital and Bullish Capital, with participation from Spartan Group, Tribe Capital, Antler, SNZ, and Heartcore, bringing our total funding to $9.2 million.
This massive boost in funding and support from world-class investors further validates our approach and will enable us to continue expanding the network.
As Álvaro Gracia, Partner at Borderless Capital, noted: "Wingbits is a definitive use case for DePIN. They are on track to be the largest airplane tracking network on earth thanks to their well-designed incentives and execution."
With the aviation industry clocking in at a massive $6 trillion and flight tracking at an impressive $22 billion, it’s clear that the Wingbits opportunity resonates with investors, station operations, and the broader aviation industry.
25% Team Growth to Accelerate Progress
Things are moving so quickly in the right direction that we’ve officially expanded the Wingbits team by over 25% this quarter.
Bringing in top talent across product development, marketing, aviation, and more means we’re moving even more rapidly toward our goals.
Wingbits is already growing six times faster than any other flight tracking network in history, and this strategic expansion will help us to serve our growing community better while accelerating product development and innovation.
3,000+ HYFIX Stations Pre-Ordered
We're also excited to share that our partnership with HYFIX has resulted in the milestone of over 3,000 stations sold. These custom-engineered stations are a leap forward for flight tracking technology, offering greater reliability, improved data quality, and seamless integration with our network.
While the previous BYOD (Build Your Own Device) stations were incentivized to provide the best coverage possible, these modular HYFIX devices are purpose-built to make the most of their hardware and ensure every station performs to the best of its ability.
As we explained in our hardware blog, commissioning custom hardware was an important decision for network quality and sustainability.
Each HYFIX station ensures consistent performance standards while simplifying the setup process for new contributors, allowing Wingbits to scale efficiently while maintaining data integrity.
More Secure BYODs With GeoSigner
Speaking of BYODs, this quarter also saw the successful shipping and deployment of our GeoSigner units.
This is a vital component for BYOD stations, adding cryptographic security to existing setups. The GeoSigners will ensure data integrity and establish proof-of-location for all contributing stations, meaning a more provably fair network for everyone.
With GeoSigners now deployed, we can easily address concerns about data authenticity – a massive benefit for data buyers.
Satellite Launch Takes Us to DeSpace
But the coolest thing Wingbits accomplished this quarter? That’d have to be the successful satellite launch in partnership with Spire Global, aboard SpaceX's Transporter-13 mission
This eye in the sky will help the network cover remote areas where terrestrial stations aren't feasible – think oceans, mountain ranges, and deserts.
As Robin Wingårdh, our CEO and co-founder, explained: "By merging Spire's satellite innovations with our network, we hope to introduce a new standard for flight tracking - a future-proof solution engineered for the rapidly growing aviation industry that combines scale, security and verifiability like never before."
This satellite complements the terrestrial network, which naturally remains the backbone of Wingbits. Without ground stations, there could be no accurate flight tracking.
Tokenomics 2.0 Introduces a Fairer Model
March introduced Wingbits Tokenomics 2.0, resulting in a far more balanced and equitable incentive system for the network.
The new model solves for previous imbalances where providers in underserved areas could earn significantly more rewards than equally high-quality providers in saturated regions.
Previously, the top 10% of stations were able to claim 60% of the daily rewards – a huge concentration that needed to be addressed.
To make things more fair, we leveraged Google’s PageRank algorithm, which values data contributions based on their strategic importance, not just their volume. We also simplified rewards into two buckets: Network Score Rewards and Early Participant Rewards.
Our simulations show that this new model delivers a significantly fairer distribution, with more contributors benefiting meaningfully from their participation.
Rapidly Growing Community
The Wingbits community is hitting a point of hockey stick growth. We now have around 30,000 followers on Twitter and the Discord community has swelled to over 6,500 members.
This tapestry of flight tracking enthusiasts, DePIN advocates, and aviation professionals is the true strength of the Wingbits network, which is now tracking 120,000+ unique flights daily across more than 90 countries.
That growth rate has to come from somewhere – and that somewhere is the Wingbits community. Yet more proof that incentive alignment is the secret sauce to long-term success.
Looking Even Better Entering Q2
We're more excited than ever about the future of Wingbits as we move into Q2.
An expanded team, secured funding, and growing community, Wingbits is well-positioned to continue redefining flight tracking and setting new standards for the aviation industry.
We extend our gratitude to every station operator, community member, and partner who has contributed to our success this quarter.
Together, we're building a more transparent, efficient, and secure future for aviation data.
Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, checkWingbits.com/map to see if your location is available to join our mission!
Marketing
Ray Buckton is a Web3 native and seasoned content creator with deep expertise in copywriting, research, and reporting. With clients including Superstate, VanEck, the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, and more, Ray brings a unique balance of institutional professionalism and Web3-native accessibility.
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