Kuva Systems

Kuva Systems provides a comprehensive industrial IoT platform for continuous methane and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions monitoring, targeting the upstream and midstream oil and gas industry. The company was established in 2015 as MultiSensor Scientific by Jason Bylsma and Allen Waxman and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Bylsma, drawing on his background as a systems engineer and experience in infrared imaging for defense purposes, identified a critical flaw in the sporadic, manual methods used for methane leak detection in the energy sector. This insight led to the creation of Kuva, a name derived from the Finnish word for 'picture', to make invisible gas leaks visible and manageable.

The core of Kuva's offering is a proprietary, pole-mounted camera that functions like a security camera for invisible gases. It integrates a short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging system to detect methane and a visible light (RGB) camera to provide operational context. This dual-camera system uses sunlight and a spectroscopic absorption technique to identify and quantify leaks, colorizing the gas plume in an image to show its movement and pinpoint the exact equipment source. The platform is engineered to eliminate false positives from non-gas sources like water vapor or vehicle heat, a common issue with thermal cameras. Data is transmitted to a cloud-based platform, powered by Microsoft Azure, where leak analytics help clients prioritize repairs, quantify emissions for ESG and regulatory reporting, and confirm normal operating conditions.

The company's business model centers on providing this end-to-end solution, which includes the hardware (camera) and a software/cloud component accessible via a web portal or API for integration with client systems. This service helps oil and gas operators enhance operational efficiency, meet methane intensity goals, and comply with evolving regulations such as those from the EPA. Kuva Systems has successfully raised a total of $34.7 million through 11 funding rounds, including grants from entities like the Government of Canada and a significant $11.3 million Series A round in January 2023. In a strategic move to broaden its market reach, Kuva Systems was acquired by Sensirion Connected Solutions in June 2025, integrating its advanced imaging technology into a larger portfolio of emissions monitoring solutions.

Keywords: methane detection, continuous emissions monitoring, optical gas imaging, industrial IoT, OGI, leak detection and repair, LDAR, oil and gas technology, ESG reporting, VOC monitoring, short-wave infrared, SWIR, methane mitigation, emissions quantification, gas cloud imaging, asset-level monitoring, upstream oil & gas, midstream oil & gas, environmental compliance, remote asset monitoring, cleantech, Sensirion