Later spotted -- and shot down -- by the U.S. Air Force, the balloon proved difficult for curious civilian lookers-on to trace back to its origin -- until AI firms like Synthetaic showed it could be done with satellite imagery. The balloon saga turned out to be a strong product demo opportunity for Synthetaic, as luck would have it -- catching the attention of investors including defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. This week, Synthetaic raised $15 million in a Series B round co-led by Lupa Systems and TitletownTech, a VC firm formed out of a partnership between the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft, with participation from IBM Ventures and the aforementioned Booz Allen Hamilton.