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Founded in 2014, Emlid company has grown from two students working out of a kitchen to a team of over 100 employees spanning multiple disciplines and countries. Today, we produce professional GNSS equipment and software that completes thousands of high-precision jobs daily around the globe.
We couldn’t have come this far without ongoing support from the professional community, which has shaped Emlid as a company right from the start. Read on to learn more about Emlid’s evolution and join one of the largest geodesic communities out there.
Reach: the first affordable RTK GPS receiver
It all began with a bold vision: making high-precision positioning technology accessible to everyone.
“We founded Emlid as university students with no money. All we had was an idea that high-precision GNSS could be affordable and easy to use. Fairly quickly, we came up with the prototype of the Reach module.”
Igor Vereninov, the CEO and co-founder of Emlid.
Emlid launched its first product, the Reach module, through successful crowdfunding. An Indiegogo campaign raised $80,000 from 172 customers–more than enough to produce the first batch and kick-start our sales.
Our first clients were the hardcore DIY (do-it-yourself) enthusiasts who used the Reach module to add precise XYZ coordinates to a fleet of unique gadgets. They took Reach modules into the field in Tupperware containers for water-proofing, powered by battery packs on Scotch tape — and were still seeing good accurate results.
Great support from the DIY community marked the beginning of Emlid as a business. From that moment, we have never relied on external investment, bootstrapping our way to a team of 100. It also made us 100% focused on our users, as they are the only people to whom the company is accountable.
The Reach module evolved into the more advanced Reach M+ and Reach M2. It became an essential part of PPK workflows with drones and autonomous vehicles. But we didn’t want to stop there.
The crowdfunding campaign’s success and excitement around the Reach module proved a growing demand for a field-ready, robust receiver that anyone could use. That paved our way to manufacturing the survey-grade RTK GNSS equipment that we make today.
On the way to survey-grade precision
So far, Emlid has released nine Reach models, building every new generation on the community’s feedback. Six of them have become significant breakthroughs and are well-known in the geodesic community:
Reach RS and RS2: becoming field-ready
The Reach RS, launched in 2017, was the first field-ready Emlid receiver. Engineering it was a challenge: if the Reach module was mainly a part of pet projects, something to have fun with, Reach RS was aimed at becoming a tool for everyday use and had to meet the demands of professional users.
To build the first field-ready receiver, we had to evolve as a company by hiring dedicated engineering and support teams and increasing the headcount to 30 people.
“We presented Reach RS at an Intergeo conference in Germany, being transparent about the technology behind it and its price. It caught the attention of industry professionals, who couldn’t believe RS could deliver high accuracy while being three, five, or six times cheaper than other brands.”
Igor Vereninov, the CEO and co-founder of Emlid.
After the Reach RS release, we started to hear the same question: Emlid, where is your dual-frequency receiver? To address this demand, in 2019, we released the Reach RS2— a fully featured multi-band RTK receiver for just $2,000. The receiver was quickly adopted in a broader range of applications like civil engineering, survey, bathymetry, robotics, and agriculture.
However, serving all these applications in an affordable and user-friendly manner required a lot of software. In 2020, we started working on Emlid Studio — a free drone data processing app for PPK; Emlid Caster — to connect base and rover; and the first version of our mobile and cloud app for surveying, Emlid Flow.
Software became an essential part of Emlid’s ecosystem, as it was now obvious: it isn’t only about getting a precise point. It’s about holistic workflows and seamless data management.
Reach RS2+, RS3 and RX: enhancing surveying experience
In 2022, Emlid was already a team of over 100 talents across multiple locations, with 40,000 devices shipped worldwide. To help customers navigate the shutdown of 2G and 3G networks, Reach RS2 got a “plus” and was upgraded with an LTE modem and antenna system.
At the same time, Emlid launched the Reach RX RTK Network rover: an ultralight receiver that required minimal setup and training—just add NTRIP and go.
Its ease of use and compatibility with all popular data collection apps on iOS and Android (ArcGIS Field Maps, FieldGenius) unlocked precision positioning for big teams, enabling faster and more accurate data collection in GIS, utility inspection, landscaping and more.
Later, the device became a hardware part of the Pix4D & Emlid Scanning Kit that combined advanced photogrammetry with RTK precision to bring a sleek alternative to traditional laser scanning.
The flagship Reach RS3 receiver was released in 2023. Its tilt compensation allows measurements with up to 60 degrees of tilt while still maintaining 20 mm of accuracy, enhancing efficiency in challenging environments. This functionality is crucial for maintaining accuracy and ease of use in large-scale surveying and mapping projects.
Bringing precise XYZs to anyone
Though the flagship Reach RS3 is light-years ahead of the very first Reach, we stay true to keeping our gear as intuitive and reasonably priced as possible.
Today, Emlid’s devices and software help professionals across industries. Apart from day-to-day surveying and mapping jobs in land surveying, drone mapping, construction, archaeology, civil engineering, and GIS, Reach receivers help in an array of less trivial tasks like exploring space, surveying glaciers, arranging mixed reality races, and saving wild trout.
Emlid’s gear has also become an important asset for those starting their own surveying businesses, as in some countries, the equipment provides an immediate return on investment.
People of Emlid
Today, Emlid has a team of over 100 talented people across multiple locations, including our headquarters in Budapest, Hungary. We aren’t just colleagues; we’re friends too. We enjoy informal activities outside the office and spend the last Friday of each month together, exploring museums, tackling escape rooms, and diving into VR experiences.
But the people of Emlid aren’t just our employees; they include our vibrant community of users who help us grow and create. With 13,000 active members in our Community Forum and 12,800 subscribers in our Facebook user group, there’s always a place for you.
Join us to get exclusive tips, share your projects, and connect with like-minded enthusiasts. Become a part of our growing community today.
FAQ
Where is Emlid located?
Emlid is based in Budapest, Hungary.
Does Emlid offer customer service?
Yes, Emlid offers comprehensive customer service through various channels, including an online help center, email, and community forum.
Where can I buy Emlid products, and what are the prices?
You can buy Emlid products directly from our official online store or through the network of authorized dealers.