On 29 January, at the European Space Conference in Brussels, Belgium, investors and companies will discuss in several sessions how to accelerate Europe’s space ecosystem, focusing on opportunities and challenges in the investment journey. One of ESA’s ambitions is to boost the commercialisation of space for a green and digital Europe, opening space to new players including non-space-based companies, in a global space economy projected to exceed US $1 trillion by 2040.

To facilitate funding, ESA’s Ventures and Financing Office set up the ESA Investor Network which now has over 60 members representing 80% of ESA Member States, mainly commercial banks and Corporate Venture Capital alongside traditional Venture Capitalists. This broad network aims to offer both equity and debt financing options for companies at their growth stages. In 2024, the members of ESA Investor Network invested about €1 billion representing about 86% of the total private investment in space ecosystem (not yet consolidated data), driving innovation and growth in the European space ecosystem.

ESA serves as a facilitator, bridging the gap between space companies and potential investors by reducing entry barriers. It organises tailored discussions to assist investors with strategic, market, and technical due diligence. Additionally, ESA supports companies in their pursuit of private funding (via this link) by promoting their fundraising efforts through monthly newsletters. Lastly, the ESA Ventures and Financing Office offers guidance to ESA programmes requiring co-funding, helping them connect with appropriate investors.

Dr. Gianluigi Baldesi, Head of ESA Ventures and Financing Office: “The ESA Investor Network is vital to Europe’s space ecosystem, providing the financial foundation for innovation and growth. By connecting companies with the right investors, it ensures a steady flow of private investment into the ecosystem, enabling companies to thrive and flourish.”

In addition to the ESA Investor Network is ESA’s ScaleUp programme. It offers two elements to help a company along its entire life cycle. First, it assists in the development of the enterprise with business incubation, business acceleration, intellectual property and technology transfer services (ScaleUp Innovate), it then facilitates the scaling up of their products in new markets (ScaleUp Invest).