Thomas d’Halluin, managing partner of Airbus Ventures, in Hangar 1 at Moffett Field at NASA Ames Research Center in California.
Airbus Ventures
Airbus Ventures, one of the most prolific investors in space startups, has raised $155 million in funding it plans to deploy into the booming space sector and the broader “deep tech” ecosystem system.
“This fund is about unlocking new possibilities, and space is one of them,” Airbus Ventures managing partner Thomas d’Halluin told CNBC.
The move comes as investment in the aerospace industry, especially from venture capital, has begun to rebound after two years of slump.
Airbus Ventures’ new “Fund-Y” targets long-term opportunities in early-stage deep technology startups – which d’Halluin defines as “going back to the laws of physics and not being afraid of the difficulties.” Historically, deep tech was a classification for companies working on technologies that faced serious scientific or engineering obstacles.
Founded in 2016, Airbus Ventures takes a different approach from traditional corporate venture capital arms. The company maintains some distance from its namesake, European Aerospace, with more than half of the Y Fund coming from outside capital such as institutional investors, private equity and family offices.
Airbus Ventures currently manages $465 million, and Fund-Y is its fourth fund to date.
About a third of the capital deployed by Airbus Ventures to date has been in aerospace, the company said, with the firm backing 14 pure-play companies in the sector, with high-profile investments including advancing new innovations. company Impulse, lunar cargo company ispace and tracking service LeoLabs.
“It’s about patience. People often want immediate rewards. Space is not a place where rewards are immediate,” DeHaalen said.
A booster from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket landed on the company’s barge after launching the Spaceflight SSO-A mission.
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation
He emphasized the importance of funding founders with “extremely rare” excellence in execution, and highlighted Airbus Ventures’ support of Impulse. The startup was founded by Tom Mueller, best known for developing the SpaceX family of rocket engines.
“Impulse’s first mission was a success thanks to Tom’s 17 years at SpaceX,” d’Halluin said.
He added: “We often see in deep technology due diligence that the human capital element is overlooked, that is, who has the execution, knowledge and skills within a given company, and that’s what we point out.”
While Airbus Ventures has traditionally deployed most of its funds in the United States, d’Halluin said it intends to take Fund-Y global. In particular, he believes aerospace startups in Europe and Japan have “very strong momentum.”
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