# Spacetech

The latest news and analysis on Europe’s spacetech startups.

The sectors with the most momentum heading into H2
Pro
Sifted data
July 17, 2026
The sectors with the most momentum heading into H2
Sifted dug into the data to discover the hottest sectors across Europe in the first half of 2026
Jonathan Sinclair
SpaceX’s IPO: ‘It shows us what we’re missing in Europe’
Pro
Analysis
June 12, 2026
SpaceX’s IPO: ‘It shows us what we’re missing in Europe’
Some investors believe the IPO could “set the benchmark” for Europe’s defence, aerospace and deeptech startups
Anne Sraders and Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Isar Aerospace raises €270m to scale launch operations
News
June 9, 2026
Isar Aerospace raises €270m to scale launch operations
New investors Island Green Capital and Molten Ventures joined the round
Martin Coulter
Finnish satellite startup Iceye raises €1bn amid spacetech funding boost
News
June 9, 2026
Finnish satellite startup Iceye raises €1bn amid spacetech funding boost
The startup last raised €200m in December
Anne Sraders
Spacetech EnduroSat eyes $200m Series C months after last round, sources say
Pro
Exclusive
June 2, 2026
Spacetech EnduroSat eyes $200m Series C months after last round, sources say
The company last raised $104m in October from the likes of Google Ventures and Lux Capital
Freya Pratty and Anne Sraders
Inside EQT’s plan for the EU’s €5bn superfund: ‘We have over 100 companies in the pipeline’
Pro
Interview
May 19, 2026
Inside EQT’s plan for the EU’s €5bn superfund: ‘We have over 100 companies in the pipeline’
The Swedish firm beat out British VC Atomico to run the EU’s new €5bn Scaleup Europe Fund
Anne Sraders and Freya Pratty
15 hardware startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs
Pro
Investor survey
May 1, 2026
15 hardware startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs
From orbital transfer vehicles to chemical recycling, these are the hardware startups VCs are eyeing this year
Anne Sraders
European spacetech mapped: 70+ startups reaching for the stars
Pro
Market map
April 24, 2026
European spacetech mapped: 70+ startups reaching for the stars
Your guide to Europe's sprawling space industry, featuring rockets, satellites, space taxis, AI and more
Éanna Kelly and Oshin Narang
Swiss spacetech Pave Space raises $40m seed round as concerns around space sovereignty heat up
Pro
News
March 25, 2026
Swiss spacetech Pave Space raises $40m seed round as concerns around space sovereignty heat up
Visionaries Club and Creandum co-led the deal
Anne Sraders
French-Italian VC 360 Capital raises €85m for deeptech fund backed by European defence prime
Pro
Exclusive
March 23, 2026
French-Italian VC 360 Capital raises €85m for deeptech fund backed by European defence prime
The new fund will back up to 25 startups and spinouts in areas like semiconductors, cybersecurity, robotics and the energy transition
Anne Sraders
Hélène Huby, CEO of The Exploration Company: ‘Only the crazy people change the world’
Podcast
March 13, 2026
Hélène Huby, CEO of The Exploration Company: ‘Only the crazy people change the world’
Hélène discusses dealing with very public failure as a CEO
Maya Dharampal-Hornby and Amy Lewin
UVC Partners raises €77m first close of new growth fund in ‘move into multi-stage investing’
News
March 12, 2026
UVC Partners raises €77m first close of new growth fund in ‘move into multi-stage investing’
The VC is planning to launch more, and larger, funds in the future
Anne Sraders
9 Bulgarian startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs
Pro
Investor survey
March 11, 2026
9 Bulgarian startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs
VCs from Bek Ventures, Eleven Ventures and BrightCap share the startups they’re eyeing
Anne Sraders
‘We can’t build it all ourselves’: Saab opens up to defence tech startups
Pro
Interview
March 2, 2026
‘We can’t build it all ourselves’: Saab opens up to defence tech startups
Saab’s CTO on peace-time defence tech, increased budgets and its startup strategy to fill the prime’s capability gaps
Mimi Billing
Inside the Nordic defence tech spending spree: Record startup funding meets big prime partnerships
Pro
Analysis
February 25, 2026
Inside the Nordic defence tech spending spree: Record startup funding meets big prime partnerships
Four years into the Ukraine war, Nordic defence forces and primes are increasingly collaborating with startups
Mimi Billing
Long timelines, heavy capex and zero margin for error: What makes a spacetech startup?
Sponsored by
February 20, 2026
Long timelines, heavy capex and zero margin for error: What makes a spacetech startup?
Building for space means navigating deeptech complexity, government support and funding timelines not designed for decade-long work
Sponsored by: HSBC Innovation Banking
The VCs that could run the EU’s €5bn Scaleup Europe Fund
Pro
Analysis
February 6, 2026
The VCs that could run the EU’s €5bn Scaleup Europe Fund
The European Innovation Council is looking for investors who’ve managed at least €500m and two funds
Freya Pratty, Anne Sraders and Amy Lewin
The European defence techs working with governments in 2026
Pro
List
February 2, 2026
The European defence techs working with governments in 2026
Defence startups have been winning contracts and wooing governments as billions flow into the sector
Anne Sraders
15+ predictions for European defence in 2026
Pro
Analysis
January 7, 2026
15+ predictions for European defence in 2026
From defence tech funding hitting $3bn to a new frontline in space, VCs share their top predictions for the sector
Anne Sraders
Spaceports: The strategic infrastructure Europe’s overlooking
Opinion
December 16, 2025
Spaceports: The strategic infrastructure Europe’s overlooking
Europe needs to recognise that spaceports are critical instruments of sovereignty, resilience and geopolitical influence
Volodymyr Levykin
The EU wants you! …to manage €5bn
Pro
Analysis
December 12, 2025
The EU wants you! …to manage €5bn
The European Innovation Council published its criteria in a callout for VC firms to manage the new deeptech fund
Anne Sraders and Freya Pratty
Satellite startup Iceye hits €2.4bn valuation as it zeroes in on defence
News
December 5, 2025
Satellite startup Iceye hits €2.4bn valuation as it zeroes in on defence
Finnish startup working with defence primes and governments in countries like Finland and the Netherlands
Anne Sraders
European nations are investing billions in space. How much will go to startups?
Pro
Analysis
December 1, 2025
European nations are investing billions in space. How much will go to startups?
Space has become a key component of European defence strategies — and startups will be key to achieving the region’s sovereignty
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet and Anne Sraders
Italian defence prime Leonardo ‘hungry like a wolf’ to acquire more startups
Pro
Interview
November 28, 2025
Italian defence prime Leonardo ‘hungry like a wolf’ to acquire more startups
The defence prime says it’s thinking of partnering with companies like Helsing and Anduril
Anne Sraders

# Spacetech

The sectors with the most momentum heading into H2

SpaceX’s IPO: ‘It shows us what we’re missing in Europe’

Isar Aerospace raises €270m to scale launch operations

Finnish satellite startup Iceye raises €1bn amid spacetech funding boost

Spacetech EnduroSat eyes $200m Series C months after last round, sources say

Inside EQT’s plan for the EU’s €5bn superfund: ‘We have over 100 companies in the pipeline’

15 hardware startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs

European spacetech mapped: 70+ startups reaching for the stars

Swiss spacetech Pave Space raises $40m seed round as concerns around space sovereignty heat up

French-Italian VC 360 Capital raises €85m for deeptech fund backed by European defence prime

Hélène Huby, CEO of The Exploration Company: ‘Only the crazy people change the world’

UVC Partners raises €77m first close of new growth fund in ‘move into multi-stage investing’

9 Bulgarian startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs

‘We can’t build it all ourselves’: Saab opens up to defence tech startups

Inside the Nordic defence tech spending spree: Record startup funding meets big prime partnerships

Long timelines, heavy capex and zero margin for error: What makes a spacetech startup?

The VCs that could run the EU’s €5bn Scaleup Europe Fund

The European defence techs working with governments in 2026

15+ predictions for European defence in 2026

Spaceports: The strategic infrastructure Europe’s overlooking

The EU wants you! …to manage €5bn

Satellite startup Iceye hits €2.4bn valuation as it zeroes in on defence

European nations are investing billions in space. How much will go to startups?

Italian defence prime Leonardo ‘hungry like a wolf’ to acquire more startups