mission statement

We are enabling all communities to prepare and respond to climate disasters by reducing the barriers to scientific information and capital.

The Challenge We Face

1.5B

People facing flood risk worldwide

$80B

Flood losses in 2021

$5.3T

Global economic activity within a 100-year floodplain

$15T

Economic activity at risk of flooding by 2040

Our Story

Floodbase was founded by Bessie Schwarz and Dr. Beth Tellman while studying as Masters students at Yale University. Both had experience working with climate vulnerable communities and saw firsthand how a lack of data directly contributed to inequity and financial ruin in the face of climate change. At Yale, they built the first iteration of Floodbase as a side project to fix disaster aid lists in El Salvador and New York state. Google flew them to Mountain View for a presentation on V1 of the tech and quickly funded them to build out the full research.

Since its founding, Floodbase has pioneered the field of satellite flood tracking, with our science appearing on the cover of Nature in 2021. Our Flood Intelligence Platform has enabled the United Nations and several national governments to improve flood disaster response. We are now powering a new type of flood insurance to help flood-vulnerable communities around the world access financial support and adapt in the face of increasing climate disasters. 

Meet the Team

Our Investors

In the News

A Vast Lake Has Captivated California Where Farms Stood a Year Ago
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Peter Lacovara: Head of Commercial, Floodbase: Making parametric flood insurance possible
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Floodbase says it will offer near-real-time information on flooding to insurers and other clients by the start of next hurricane season.
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Climate Action 30: Top Global Leaders Working Towards Climate Solutions
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First came the floods. Now, Pakistan’s children face a new disaster
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These Satellites See Through the Clouds to Track Flooding
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The next extreme floods could be even worse, a new study shows. But there's a way to prevent that
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How a booming ‘environmental intelligence’ sector is confronting extreme weather and climate change
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Google Wants to Save the Planet With Satellite Images
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Floods are getting worse, and the number of people exposed is 10 times higher than previously thought, study finds
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Space Business Podcast: Cloud to Street
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Cloud to Street Transforms Climate Change-Era Flood Insurance with Satellite Data
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Minds Behind Maps Podcast: Dr. Beth Tellman
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My Climate Journey Podcast: Cloud to Street
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Parametric solutions can shrink flood insurance protection gap: Floodbase
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Demand for parametric re/insurance is on the rise: Floodbase’s Lacovara
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