Deeptech/News/ European Investment Bank makes first “new space” investment Spire Global will use the money to develop satellites monitoring maritime, aviation and weather space conditions By Freya Pratty 3 December 2020 \Venture Capital Silicon Roundabout cofounder launches deeptech fund as solo GP By Kai Nicol-Schwarz 2 February 2023 Deeptech/News/ European Investment Bank makes first “new space” investment Spire Global will use the money to develop satellites monitoring maritime, aviation and weather space conditions By Freya Pratty 3 December 2020 The European Investment Bank (EIB) is to make its first direct investment into the space sector, with €20m in funding for Spire Global, the world’s largest constellation of multi-purpose satellites. Spire Global, based in Luxembourg, will use the money to develop its satellite network, which monitors maritime, aviation and weather space conditions. The investment comes after the EIB, the lending institution of the European Union, made a commitment to strengthen support for European startups in the “new space” sector — those working outside of state programs. With the rise of companies like SpaceX, more and more private investors have moved into the industry, which typically gives strong returns. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the global space economy was growing at twice the rate of the broader economy, with every €1 invested returning €6 back on average. “Like many other sectors, space is undergoing disruptive changes driven by innovation and digitalisation,” said Teresa Czerwińska, vice president of the EIB. “We shouldn’t miss the opportunity to play a decisive role in the emerging new space industry and reap the many benefits it can bring to the whole economy and Europe’s future competitiveness.” Spire’s CEO, Peter Platzer, said funding from institutions like the EIB is critical to the startup’s development, and the funding will mean the technology can help solve problems like illegal fishing, excessive fuel consumption, aid early weather warnings and facilitate more efficient movement of global resources. Europe in space The European Union currently runs space programs Copernicus and Galileo, aimed at providing Europe with autonomous space capabilities. The EIB has highlighted, however, that Europe lags behind the US and China in terms of the funding available for space tech startups, for which “grants are no longer adequate but companies are not mature enough to access private equity markets.” Alongside financing, the EIB launched the Space Finance Lab in 2019, where space startups and financiers can connect and source funding. Freya Pratty covers news at Sifted. She tweets from @FPratty Related Articles Five ways to get Europe its own Elon Musk By Marie Mawad and Maija Palmer Click here to read more Elon Musk may have met his match in the German unions By Miriam Partington in Berlin Click here to read more “In five years there will be five tech hubs in Europe that matter, and Lausanne will be one of them” By Maija Palmer Click here to read more Most Read 1 \Startup Life Tech Nation shutting down as UK government controversially pulls key funding 2 \Fintech Monzo revenues surge more than twofold, putting it on track for 2023 profitability 3 \Consumer Glovo lays off 6% of staff following fresh fine from Spanish government 4 \Startup Life How we grew our team 5x without spending £1 on recruitment 5 \Venture Capital France plans to use the startup downturn to come out on top in Europe
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