PARIS (CNES PR) — Created by CNES in 2021, SpaceFounders offers ultra-intensive and very high-level support to help startups think big. The explanations of the president of SpaceFounders France, Emmanuelle Méric.
What is SpaceFounders?
Emmanuelle Méric: SpaceFounders is an accelerator for European space startups. This is a public program, created at the initiative of CNES, which brings together a large community of public and private players, foremost among which are ESA and DLR, the German space agency , to bring out new world-class European champions in the space sector. Concretely, SpaceFounders is an entrepreneurship support program intended for managers of Space Tech startups. The ultra-intensive program lasts 3 months, virtually and face-to-face in the heart of European space capitals, and includes meetings, master classes, targeted networking and workshops.
“The great strength of SpaceFounders is the mentoring and connection with leading personalities from the space and digital world and investors.“
Who is the program for?
EM:The startups supported have already acquired initial maturity. At the acceleration stage, these are companies that have been in existence for between 2 and 5 years, a dozen employees, and which already have achievements to their credit. We take them on at a time when they need to think strategically about the next steps and when they are looking for fundraising to accelerate their development. The particularity of the program is to be 100% spatial. From there, we touch the entire value chain that goes from infrastructures to applications, via Earth observation, satellites or services in orbit. SpaceFounders aims to offer an ultra-qualitative program, with very high-level connections, which is why the number of startups monitored is limited to 10 per class.
This year, there will be 2 selections, in the spring and in the fall.
What is the procedure for participating in the program?
EM: Interested entrepreneurs can contact us by email. We are a small structure and we are committed, for each application, to taking the time individually to understand the level of maturity and reflection. An initial selection is then made on file, according to demanding criteria, classic in the world of investment: quality and expertise of the team, degree of innovation and maturity of the products, economic model, growth potential… Rating files is carried out in a multidisciplinary manner by evaluators from the entire ecosystem (CNES, ESA, DLR, major industrialists, investors). The shortlisted candidates are then invited to pitch to an autonomous and independent jury made up of personalities from the space sector, but also from entrepreneurship and finance.
The selection campaign for the 1st promotion of SpaceFounders 022 runs until 03/31/2022.
More information: https://www.spacefounders.eu
SpaceFounders, the 100% Space Accelerator of the Connect By CNES Program
Since 2018, Connect by CNES has been the support and support program for start-ups within the NewSpace ecosystem.
From emergence to acceleration, Connect by CNES gives start-ups access to a network and a range of technological, economic and financial services, in DOWNSTREAM areas (environment, agriculture, maritime, health, etc.) and in the UPSTREAM domains (infrastructures, low orbits, lunar economy)
