How can decentralized networks rewrite the rules of real-world infrastructure mapping and spatial engineering? In this episode of The Innovators & Investors Podcast, host Kristian Marquez sits down with Bill Lakeland, Founder and CEO of Spexi. Bill shares his deep background moving from traditional, manned aerial photography to building a decentralized network of autonomous micro-drones that has successfully mapped over 300 cities across North America.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

• How Spexi leverages consumer micro-drones to deliver automated, high-resolution urban data capture.
• The strategic positioning differences between satellite data, aircraft photogrammetry, and hyper-local drone networks.
• How embedded blockchain layers authenticate data provenance and secure real-time proof of capture.
• The business and operational variations between Canadian risk-based airspace rules and US intent-based licensing.
• How Spexi’s collaborative integration with Niantic Spatial transforms raw imagery into high-fidelity 3D models to fuel next-generation physical AI applications.

Discover more about their recent platform integration here: https://www.spexi.com/blog/niantic-spatial-and-spexi-partner-to-turn-drone-imagery-into-intelligence-for-physical-ai

Learn more about Spexi work at: https://www.spexi.com/

Connect with Bill Lakeland on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lakeland/

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply at https://finstratmgmt.com/innovators-investors-podcast/

Want to learn more about Kristian Marquez's work? https://finstratmgmt.com