Weather forecasting startup, ClimaCell, tracks a $45m funding round

ClimaCell, a Boston-based startup that uses cell phone and loT data for short-term, “hyper-local” weather forecasting, raised $45m in Series B funding, bringing its total raised to $65m.

And a whole mess of big names were in on it: Clearvision Ventures led and was joined by Ford Smart Mobility, Envision Ventures plus a host of return backers.

How exactly does it work?

The gist is, atmospheric changes affect signals transmitted between cell towers and mobile phones.

ClimaCell devised a software program to measure the impact and provide super-accurate weather observations about your immediate surroundings (reportedly up to 6 hours in the future).

Do we really need to be that precise when it comes to weather? 

Turns out, it’s more important than figuring out whether to bring a jacket.

It’s actually a huge friggin’ deal to the entire agriculture industry, airlines, ride-hailing services, and self-driving vehicles.

In fact, according to National Weather Service estimates, weather effects can swing America’s GDP by up to 6%. In other words, ClimaCell can tell companies if their future is cloudy with a chance of economic depression.