In this episode of Tech Command Investing, I speak with Brad Elsbury, CEO of Unknown Labs, to explore a critical yet largely invisible layer of modern infrastructure: spectrometry.
Today, much of the spectrometry ecosystem still operates through fragmented OEM systems, manual workflows, and reporting cycles that can take months to complete.
Yet despite these limitations, spectrometry sits at the core of some of the world’s most critical functions: defence and CBRN awareness, environmental toxin detection, narcotics monitoring, industrial quality control, and food and supply chain traceability.
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Without a unified intelligence layer, spectrometry remains underutilised producing valuable data that is often delayed, siloed, or inaccessible when it matters most.
Unknown Labs is addressing this gap.
By building a device-agnostic intelligence backbone, the company is connecting laboratories, governments, and field operators into a real-time detection network. What was once localised analysis is evolving into a distributed intelligence system.
A single detection event is no longer isolated.
A chemical signal identified in Athens, for example, can now trigger alerts and insights across an entire continent. This shift transforms spectrometry from a diagnostic tool into a strategic infrastructure layer.
Network effects play a critical role in this evolution. As more devices and institutions connect to the system, the intelligence becomes richer, faster, and more predictive. Data is no longer static, it compounds.
In our conversation, Brad Elsbury explains how software is redefining the role of spectrometry. What was once hardware-driven is becoming software-enabled infrastructure scalable, interoperable, and increasingly essential for national security and operational resilience.
This transition carries significant implications.
From sovereignty and defence systems to public health and industrial safety, real-time detection and shared intelligence are becoming foundational capabilities. Governments and organisations that can access and act on this data will be better positioned to anticipate risks and respond effectively.
For investors, this represents a pivotal moment.
What begins as a vertical use case improving spectrometry workflows is rapidly expanding into a broader intelligence platform with strategic importance.
Key Takeaways
Spectrometry as infrastructure
A traditionally fragmented and slow-moving field is evolving into a real-time intelligence layer.
From local detection to networked intelligence
Individual scan results can now generate continent-wide insights and alerts.
The power of network effects
As more systems connect, intelligence becomes faster, richer, and increasingly predictive.
Software-driven transformation
Spectrometry is shifting from hardware-centric workflows to scalable, software-enabled infrastructure.
Strategic implications
Real-time detection capabilities are becoming critical for defence, sovereignty, and industrial resilience.
The future of detection, security, and operational awareness may depend on something long overlooked: how quickly and effectively we can interpret chemical signals.
By transforming isolated scans into shared intelligence, Unknown Labs is redefining how data moves from the lab to the field, and from local insight to continental awareness.
Investing in Europe’s Dual-Use Innovators
At KARISTA, we’re raising the successor K Tech II fund, focused on Defence, Space, and Security backing the pioneers bridging civilian and military innovation to strengthen resilience and sovereignty.
