
By Raphael Roettgen
We are only one month into the new decade and, while we have not yet seen the SpaceX/BlueOrigin/OneWeb type mega financing rounds of 2019, this month has brought over U.S.$170 million in disclosed financing transactions in the space sector. The financing rounds have covered companies in many of the various subsectors of the space economy, incl. satellite communications, launch, remote sensing and debris removal. Similarly, many geographies were touched (see below).
Lastly, and always welcome, we seem to see some investors that we do not think have invested in space before, e.g. DCM, Moore, Lauder, Byers. Here are the main rounds that we are aware of so far.
The year is off to a good start — and the first days of February have already brought a EUR100 million round for IoT company Kinéis and a U.S.$11 million round for satellite propulsion provider Accion Systems! Through our day-to-day work, we are aware of many fundraising rounds currently going on – so watch this space (pun intended)!
Raphael Roettgen provides financial advice to and invests proprietary capital in space companies as a managing director and founder of E2MC. He also advises institutional investors and governments on space. Previously, Raphael has held senior roles at global investment banks and hedge funds and was also a fintech entrepreneur in Brazil. He holds degrees in finance from Wharton, machine learning from PUC-Rio and space studies from the International Space University, as well as the CFA and FRM charters.