With the fund, Alpine Space Ventures aims primarily at Series A rounds and invests in startups that serve or leverage the global space industry. The focus is on industrializing the space sector as well as hardware and software solutions in the areas of connectivity and data. The VC concentrates primarily on investments in the European ecosystem, but also has companies in the United States and other non-European countries in view. A focused portfolio of a maximum of 15 selected startups will now receive initial investments of up to five million euros. The majority of the funds will therefore be reserved for follow-on rounds. Five startups, including Munich-based companies Reflex Aerospace and Blackwave, have already received funds from the fund.
The team of the venture capital fund, founded in 2021, brings more than 50 years of experience in developing products and companies in the space industry. Founding partner Bulent Altan was part of SpaceX’s leadership team from 2004 to 2017. There he oversaw the development of avionics for Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and the Dragon capsule, as well as the development of the first Starlink satellites. Founding partner Joram Voelklein has been investing successfully in tech companies since 2015. With an angel investment together with Bulent Altan in Isar Aerospace, he became one of the first funders of the European space technology ecosystem.
Alpine Space Ventures receives funding from EU and NATO
This expertise is complemented by Alpine Space Ventures’s investor base. It consists of many personalities from the space industry – including more than 20 former SpaceX employees. Other investors in the fund include the European Investment Fund (EIF), the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), and several prominent family offices.
Bulent Altan, Founding Partner at Alpine Space Ventures, says:
“We look forward to deploying the fund’s capital and continuing to support the best entrepreneurs in the industry. First and foremost, we invest in the best teams with strong market understanding who put the customer at the center and iterate technical solutions quickly to develop the best possible commercial solution.”
Joram Voelklein, Founding Partner of Alpine Space Ventures, adds:
“Today is a great day for the ecosystem and beyond, as we provide a significant volume of smart money to finance space-based solutions globally and across industries. We are in the early stages of the European space ecosystem, and I couldn’t imagine a better time to give it further momentum.”
