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The CEO of UK-based spacetech investor Seraphim Space says Europe is “catching up” to US spacetech, powered by the SpaceX IPO, increased deal sizes, and European spacetech startups pivoting to defence applications, helping drive up investment.
Speaking on the Tech.eu podcast, Mark Boggett, co-founder and CEO of Seraphim Space, discusses the recent SpaceX IPO, its impact on the European spacetech sector, as well as the investment landscape, and European sovereignty.
Boggett also talks about Seraphim’s portfolio, which includes its biggest holding in aerospace company Iceye, which is likely eyeing an IPO, and Hawkeye 360, the signal intelligence company.
Boggett said around 80 per cent of Seraphim’s portfolio revenues were now coming from defence, as spacetech startups pivot to defence. While still lagging behind the US in terms of the size of the investment deals, Europe is catching up, he said, as witnessed by some big-ticket spacetech deals this year.
Iceye raised over €1bn in a funding round valuing the company at around €10bn, while German rocket developer Isar Aerospace announced a €270m funding round. On the impact of SpaceX’s IPO on the broader sector, Boggett said it will bring a wider range of investors to the sector, such as big institutional investors.
He also said a key driver of optimism in the sector was Starship, SpaceX’s new launch vehicle, which he said was a “game-changer”, making it easier to launch infrastructure into space.
He said: “The price and scale of launch are now changing. It is now opening up the market for mega infrastructure in space because previously it has been cost-prohibitive to put large infrastructure into the space environment.”
Image: NASA on Unsplash