Equinor Ventures, Wintershall Dea Technology Ventures and Sumitomo Corporation Invests in Total 75 mNOK in Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Software Provider Earth Science Analytics
2.9.2020 09:30:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Earth Science Analytics AS, a Norwegian petroleum geoscience software provider, has raised a series B funding from Equinor Ventures, the corporate venture fund of Equinor, a broad energy company and the leading operator in Norway, Wintershall Dea Technology Ventures, the corporate venture subsidiary of Wintershall Dea, Europe’s leading independent gas and oil company and Sumitomo Corporation, one of the world’s largest general trading companies. The three new investors are joining Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures, who first invested in the company in 2019.
Earth Science Analytics is spearheading the development of the next generation petroleum geoscience software based on artificial intelligence, physics- and data-driven approaches. Earth Science Analytics’ proprietary software package EarthNET, is a modern cloud-native application that allows faster, cheaper and more accurate prediction of rock and fluid properties in the subsurface. This leads to greater profitability and higher success rates for oil and gas exploration, development and production.
The funds will allow Earth Science Analytics to continue developing its unmatched cloud based geoscience software to the next level as well as expand its presence across the world.
Lisa Rebora, Senior Vice President in Equinor Exploration, commented “Digitalisation is impacting how we work, making it easier to analyse and be creative with data, improving how we collaborate and enhancing our understanding of the subsurface. We are always seeking to learn and improve, looking externally for those partners and innovators who can help us release the value of our data and the knowledge of our people. The Earth Science Analytics cloud-native solutions will contribute to empower more people to access data-driven and cutting-edge technology, and help generate more opportunities and value with increasing efficiency.”
Andreas Berger, Managing Director of Wintershall Dea Technology Ventures, commented “Our industry will be led by companies who integrate digital technology into all areas of the business and foremost in their key processes in order to gain value. The solutions of Earth Science Analytics will enable us to make data-driven decisions faster and more precise with direct impact on our bottom line.”
Kenichi Hotta, GM of Sumitomo Corporation Global Energy Service Department, commented “We believe that Earth Science Analytics (ESA) brings more digital capability to the industry. Together with ESA, Sumitomo continuously contributes to ongoing digital transformation initiatives by supporting process automation, cost reduction and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, initiatives such as our new ‘green’ subsurface businesses (including carbon capture and storage, geothermal development and underground energy storage) will greatly benefit from the use of ESA’s data-driven and cutting-edge technology.”
Kjell-Erik Østdahl, Chairman of Earth Science Analytics, commented “We are proud to welcome Equinor Ventures, Wintershall Dea Technology Ventures and Sumitomo Corporation as new institutional investors. Together we will continue to develop the technology to create a step change in geoscience interpretation using AI.”
About Equinor Ventures
Equinor Ventures is Equinor’s corporate venture fund dedicated to investing in attractive and ambitious early phase and growth companies. We believe that the innovation, creativity and agility of start-ups can drive change and transition the energy industry towards a low carbon future.
About Wintershall Dea Technology Ventures GmBH
Wintershall Dea Technology Ventures GmbH (WDTV) is the venture capital arm of Wintershall Dea, Europe’s leading independent gas and oil company. WDTV is responsible for integrating innovative concepts and technologies to the core businesses of the company. The aim of WDTV is to make investments into digital solutions and relevant break-through technologies and business innovations along the value-chain of our industry. The focus of investment is on cost reduction, increased recovery of hydrocarbons, reduction of environmental footprint or reduction of subsurface uncertainty.
About Sumitomo Corporation
Sumitomo Corporation (SC) is a leading Fortune 500 global trading and business investment company with 136 locations (Japan: 22, Overseas: 114) in 66 countries and regions. The entire SC Group consists of more than 900 companies. SC conducts commodity transactions in all industries utilizing worldwide networks, provides related customers with various financing, serves as an organizer and a coordinator for various projects, and invests in companies to promote greater growth potential. SC’s core business areas include Metal Products, Transportation and Construction Systems, Infrastructure, Media and Digital, Living Related and Real Estate, Mineral Resources, Energy, and Chemical and Electronics.
About Earth Science Analytics AS
Earth Science Analytics AS (ESA) is a Norwegian technology company developing the next generation web-based cloud-native geoscience software and solutions. ESA incorporates extensive knowledge and experience in geoscience, computer science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, to develop software and solutions for the energy industry. The software products provide geoscientists with opportunities to work with large data sets more efficiently and obtain more accurate results at a lower cost compared to what can be achieved with traditional methods.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901006003/en/
Contact information
Equinor Ventures
Fredrik Jebsen Bråten, Communications Manager
Phone: +47 984 02 255
Email: fjbr@equinor.com
www.equinor.com
Wintershall Dea Technology Ventures GmbH
Dr. Andreas Berger, Managing Director
Phone: +49 561 301-0
Email: Andreas.Berger@wintershalldea.com
www.wintershalldea.ventures
Sumitomo Corporation
Kenichi Hotta, GM of Sumitomo Corporation Global Energy Service Department
Phone: +47 948 50 125
Email: kenichi.hotta@sumitomocorp.com
www.sumitomocorp.com
Earth Science Analytics AS
Kjell-Erik Østdahl, Chairman
Phone: +47 928 72 213
Email: contact@earthanalytics.no
www.earthanalytics.ai
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Al Barari Breaks Ground on The Cape, The Final Chapter of a Legacy6.2.2026 16:46:00 EET | Press release
Al Barari, Dubai’s pioneering nature-led community, has officially marked the groundbreaking of The Cape, its final signature residential development, celebrating two decades of visionary craftsmanship and a continued commitment to creating harmonious living environments rooted in nature. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260206475199/en/ Hazza Zaal, CEO of Al Barari Real Estate Group, alongside the Sales and Construction teams at The Cape Groundbreaking Ceremony, marking a milestone in Al Barari’s final signature development. (Photo: AETOSWire) The milestone ceremony signals the beginning of a landmark chapter for Al Barari, as The Cape represents the culmination of a 20-year legacy defined by intentional design, wellbeing-focused living, and immersive natural landscapes. Located within Dubai’s green heart, The Cape introduces an enriched lifestyle experience surrounded by lush botanical settings, gentle water
Quantfury and Sandwich Launch Commercial Series to Encourage Better Choices in Retail Trading6.2.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release
Quantfury Trading Americas Limited (“Quantfury”), a global brokerage offering commission-free trading at real-time spot prices from major exchanges, has partnered with Sandwich, a leading creative agency for tech and product videos, to produce a Social Responsibility Commercial Series. The series of commercials incorporates clear, engaging storytelling to prompt viewers to think about common retail trading behaviors—especially high-energy marketing, gamification of speculation, and heavy focus on potential gains without equal attention to risks—and to choose more thoughtful, informed approaches. Lev Mazur, Founder of Quantfury, said: “It’s a pleasure to work with Sandwich, whose visual storytelling is outstanding. Since day one, Quantfury has aimed to question and improve the standard practices in the global retail trading industry.” Adam Lisagor, Founder of Sandwich, added: “A good investment is a story. Quantfury stood out by wanting to tell a real, interesting story first—rather tha
JSS: 2025 Sake Exports Grew Steadily, Reaching a Record 81 Markets6.2.2026 05:00:00 EET | Press release
Sake exports continued to expand in 2025 in both value and volume, with export destinations reaching a record 81 countries and regions. Export value increased 6% year on year to 45.9 billion yen, while export volume rose 8% to 33.55 million liters (3.73 million cases on a 9-liter basis), marking the second-highest export performance on record. The average export unit price per 750 ml bottle declined 2% year on year to 1,026 yen. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260205671686/en/ Sake Export Performance by Country (Top 10, 2025) Export value has nearly doubled since 2020, and the CAGR over the past five years reached 14%. This underscores sake’s position as a high-growth category globally. Asia remained the largest export destination, with export value totaling 28.8 billion yen, representing an 8% increase year on year and accounting for 63% of total export value. North America recorded exports of 12.4 billion ye
Canva Brings On-Brand Designs Directly into AI Assistants6.2.2026 01:00:00 EET | Press release
The future of work is being rewritten by AI, with professionals accomplishing in minutes what used to take hours. But there's been one persistent breaking point in AI assistants: generic visual outputs and off-brand colors that undermine AI speed with tedious manual cleanup. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260205384226/en/ Canva Today, that friction ends as Canva brings brand intelligence directly into the AI tools where modern day work happens most. Starting now, ChatGPT users can create designs completely tied to their Canva Brand Kit, making a company’s brand come to life visually and function as a living participant in AI workflows. This expansion marks the coming together of Canva and ChatGPT, two category-defining platforms, in a new way to make on-brand design more accessible and fluid. From client-ready pitch decks to social posts and professional-looking posters, the partnership continues to fuel Canv
DNIB.com Reports Internet Has 386.9 Million Domain Name Registrations at the End of the Fourth Quarter of 20256.2.2026 00:04:00 EET | Press release
VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), a global provider of critical internet infrastructure and domain name registry services, today announced that, according to the latest Domain Name Industry Brief Quarterly Report from DNIB.com, the fourth quarter of 2025 closed with 386.9 million domain name registrations across all top-level domains (TLDs), an increase of 8.4 million domain name registrations, or 2.2% compared to the third quarter of 2025. Domain name registrations also increased by 22.7 million, or 6.2%, year over year. The .com and .net TLDs had a combined total of 173.5 million domain name registrations in the domain name base at the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, an increase of 1.6 million domain name registrations, or 0.9% compared to the third quarter of 2025. The .com and .net TLDs had a combined increase of 4.5 million domain name registrations, or 2.6%, year over year. As of Dec. 31, 2025, the .com domain name base totaled 161.0 million domain name registrations and the .net
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom
