Thomas d’Halluin, managing partner of Airbus Ventures, in Hangar 1 at Moffett Field at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California.
Airbus Ventures
Airbus Ventures, one of the most prolific investors in space startups, has raised $155 million in funding it plans to deploy into the emerging space sector and the broader “deep tech” ecosystem .
“This fund is about unlocking new possibilities, and space is one of them,” Airbus Ventures managing partner Thomas d’Halluin told CNBC.
The move comes as investments in the aerospace industry, particularly from venture capital, keeps rebounding After two years of poor harvests.
Airbus Ventures’ new “Fund-Y” targets long-term opportunities in early-stage deep technology startups, which d’Halluin defines as “returning to the laws of physics and not being afraid of difficulties.” Historically, deep tech was a classification for companies working on technologies that faced serious scientific or engineering obstacles.
Airbus Ventures was founded in 2016 adopt different strategies From traditional corporate venture capital departments. The company maintains some distance from its namesake, European Aerospace, and more than half of Fund-Y’s funding comes from outside capital such as institutional investors, private equity and family offices.
Airbus Ventures currently manages $465 million, and Fund-Y is its fourth fund to date.
About a third of the capital deployed by Airbus Ventures to date has been in aerospace, the company said, with the firm backing 14 pure-play companies in the sector, with notable investments including advancing new innovations. company Impulse, lunar cargo company ispace and tracking service LeoLabs.
“It’s about patience. People often want immediate rewards. Space is not a place where rewards are immediate,” DeHaalen said.
A booster from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket landed on the company’s barge after launching the Spaceflight SSO-A mission.
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation
He emphasized the importance of funding founders with “extremely rare” excellence in execution, and highlighted Airbus Ventures’ support of Impulse. The startup was founded by Tom Mueller, best known for developing the SpaceX family of rocket engines.
“Impulse’s first mission was a success thanks to Tom’s 17 years at SpaceX,” d’Halluin said.
He added: “We often see in deep technology due diligence that the human capital element is overlooked, that is, who has the execution, knowledge and skills within a given company, and that’s what we point out.”
While Airbus Ventures has traditionally deployed most of its capital in the United States, d’Halluin said it intends to deploy Fund-Y globally. In particular, he believes aerospace startups in Europe and Japan have “very strong momentum.”
