Investing in Space
AQUATY Partners with ESA's Space Cooperative Europe to Facilitate Investments
AQUATY has joined forces with the Space Cooperative Europe SCE (SCE) to streamline investments in space-related startups curated by the European Space Agency's (ESA). Founded in Munich in 2020, SCE is dedicated to funding space-related initiatives. The new partnership allows investors to invest in these startups with minimal legal and regulatory hassle.
AQUATY offers investors a modern technology platform that fully digitalises the investment process. Investors can co-invest, follow-on, and manage secondary transactions under one special purpose vehicle, eliminating the need to set up separate entities for each investment. AQUATY automates all necessary legal and regulatory documents, reducing legal costs while ensuring compliance.
Commenting on the partnership, Alexander Grimm, Managing Director of AQUATY, said: “SCE serves as a facilitator for cross-border and transnational activities, encouraging consortia and cooperation to enter the space market orcompete with larger players. This aligns perfectly with our goal to make private market investments as efficient and accessible as public markets, including startups in the space industry.”
AQUATY's suite of tools support SCE throughout the entire investment lifecycle, frominitial startup evaluation to fully digital transaction settlement. The platform also allows them to share deal flow with current or prospective limited partners and includes a comprehensive portfolio and reporting tool for syndicate and angel club leaders. This helps track investments and share updates with other investors, promoting collaboration between syndicate members, the investment committee, and the curation team.
Markus Häuser, CEO of SCE, adds: “Our vision is to create an ecosystem that bridges companies, universities, and public institutions to boost the space industry. By providing the legal, regulatory, and technological infrastructure, the AQUATY platform significantly reduces transaction costs and complexity. This enables us to connect promising startups with investors seeking excellent opportunities.”
One of the first startups to benefit from this partnership is Sophie's BioNutrients. Founded in 2019 by Eugene Wang, this company cultivates protein from micro-algae within bio-reactors to combat food shortages, reduce environmental impact, and protect ecosystems. Sophie's BioNutrients is now launching their microalgae fermentation project to the International Space Station, that has long been a hub for scientific research and innovation.
Alexander Grimm says: “Many revolutionary technologies we enjoy today, such as GPS, weather forecasting, satellite communications, and commercial space research. However, securing funding for space initiatives is often challenging. We believe in supporting the best founders. Together with SCE and the ESA Business Network, we aim to advance technological innovations in space and address today's environmental challenges.”
This partnership between AQUATY and SCE represents a significant step forward in making space-related investments more accessible and efficient, fostering innovation and collaboration in the space industry.
