As a part of the first batch of European space tech startups in SpaceFounders accelerator program, we had a marvelous week from September 13-17, full of keynotes, field trips and mentoring sessions, setting the roadmap for the next months of our journey. This week was the first step of an intense 10-week program, initiated and run by the French government’s space agency CNES and founders@unibw, the entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship program at the University of Bundeswehr Munich. With this program, SpaceFounders support promising New Space companies through mentoring, networking events and access to investors. 

Among 10 companies selected as the first cohort, two other German startups are to be found: Village Data Analytics and Okapi:Orbits. Village Data Analytics, also located in Munich, delivers AI-powered earth observation software and so aims to enable data-driven investment and market decisions in rural villages of Africa and Asia. Okapi, on the other hand, is making space travel more sustainable for satellites through their Collision Avoidance Software. Other startups in the batch are Zephalto, Share my Space, Vortex.io Interstellar Labs and Infinite Orbits from France, Pangea Aerospace from Spain, and Mission Space from Latvia.  

In the course of the Intensive Week, we also attended an amazing SpaceBrewery event. After a round of 1-minute pitches, we enjoyed an evening of casual networking. We connected with the local entrepreneurship and space scene, and of course, appreciated some cold beer. Next in program is another intensive week mid-October, this time in Toulouse, and an exciting week of pitch events occurring in Berlin and Paris. We cannot wait!