After Merger, GoPro Hopes To Expand in AI, Defense, and Aerospace Markets

Amid a sagging stock price and years of struggle in an increasingly competitive action camera market, GoPro—the brand known for documenting ski descents and action sports the world over from a POV angle—has announced “definitive” plans to merge with Starman Optical, a privately held optical-photonics company and subsidiary of Starman Holding.

Starman Optical is set to pay $285 million in cash for GoPro in a deal that Reuters reported would repay GoPro’s debt and is expected to close by the end of this year.

What does this mean for folks who still love jamming a GoPro on their head and dropping in? For now, at least, nothing dramatic. According to a press release shared by GoPro, it will “remain a publicly listed company and will continue to fully support its existing consumer products and its subscription and cloud platform.”

But it could also lead to GoPro showing up in new places. The release added that the combined Starman-GoPro company plans to “leverage its IP, optics and imaging capabilities across defense, government, robotics and aerospace markets.”

“Advanced optics and imaging are essential to AI, national security, and the broader economy, yet much of the critical hardware supporting these technologies continues to be manufactured overseas,” said Charles Tebele, CEO of Starman Holding, in a release.

Nicholas Woodman, founder and CEO of GoPro, added that “We expect this merger to enable GoPro to grow across consumer, commercial and defense markets.”

Starman Holding, according to Tebele’s bio page, has a number of companies in its portfolio, ranging from “consumer products” to “semiconductors.” It also covers brands you may recognize, like the tech bag and case companies Incase and Incipio.

While the idea of GoPro entering the “defense market” may sound surprising, it’s not an entirely new step for the company. 

A previous release published earlier this year outlined the company’s intentions to explore this area further, but Woodman noted that GoPro was already “well known within defense, government and aerospace sectors.” He said that the cameras were mounted on the solar array wings of the Artemis II Orion spacecraft, which took a flight past the moon in April. 

The merger announcement comes as skiers are flooded with new, solid POV camera options, shaking GoPro’s dominance. Insta360’s line of small, portable cameras has taken off in recent years, as have DJI’s. 

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