The result of a collaboration between CNES, Bundeswehr University Munich (UniBw) and the Italian space agency ASI, the SpaceFounders accelerator programme aims to nurture future space industry leaders in Europe. Its seventh class is now open for candidates. The deadline for submissions is 9 March 2026.
SpaceFounders is aimed at all European start-ups developing space technology at the stage of at least a pilot product and who are looking to take their business to a new level through tailored technical, business and financial support. The programme is open to the best and brightest European space entrepreneurs that already have a pre-commercial product and are seeking seed or Series A funding over the next 12 to 24 months.
This year’s programme will involve three intensive weeks in Munich, Toulouse and Italy between September and November, as well as coaching from space industry experts. After a series of selection phases, 10 to 15 start-ups will join the 70 previous laureates, among them Infinite Orbits, Look Up Space, Pangea Propulsion and Okapi Orbits, who have already come through this gateway to the European space ecosystem.
The accelerator is underpinned by a top-tier network that affords preferential access to key space infrastructures, boosted by key partners such as the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German space agency DLR. During the course of the programme, laureates will be given tours of industrial facilities and get to meet top people and investment funds (e.g. Expansion, Primo Space and HTGF). The start-ups will subsequently present their projects at demo days, giving them the opportunity to turbocharge their commercial and industrial growth.
About SpaceFounders
SpaceFounders is the European accelerator for space start-ups dedicated to identifying and accompanying future space champions, with a mission to help them become industry leaders and extend their impact on Europe’s space industry. Initiated in 2021, SpaceFounders is a joint endeavour of the French space agency CNES, Bundeswehr University Munich (UniBw) and the Italian space agency ASI. It is supported by prestigious European space institutions such as the European Space Agency (ESA), German space agency DLR and the European Innovation Council (EIC), and by a top-tier industrial consortium of leading players like Thales Alenia Space, Airbus Defence & Space, Beyond Gravity and Safran. SpaceFounders France also invests its own equity in start-ups that have achieved a proven track record since the start of the accelerator programme.
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7th class of SpaceFounders opens for submissions
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