Unio was founded in 2022 as a joint venture between Isar Aerospace, Reflex Aerospace, Mynaric and Ses. The Munich-based startup aims to build Europe's first sovereign, commercial satellite constellation for fast, high-performance, and secure connectivity. The spacetech company's primary focus is on the mobility and logistics sectors. Other potential applications include direct communication between companies (B2B) or between companies and public administrations (B2G).
The lead investors in the current pre-seed round are the aerospace and technology group OHB SE and the European technology company IABG. SES and Reflex Aerospace are also participating, expanding their existing investments.
With the fresh investment of €2.5 million, the Munich-based startup aims to advance the development and market launch of its Unio Bridge product. This commercial solution for commercial vehicles is designed to enable seamless switching between 5G networks and satellite connectivity, thus ensuring seamless internet connectivity. The product is intended for use in both the logistics and agricultural sectors.
Market launch planned for the third quarter of 2024
The first products are scheduled to be delivered to an anchor customer in early 2024. The full market launch is planned for the third quarter of 2024. Union CEO Katrin Bacic emphasizes:
"I am delighted that OHB and IABG, together with existing joint venture partners SES and Reflex Aerospace, are guaranteeing the financing to develop our groundbreaking Unio Bridge product. Given the challenging financing environment, the willingness to invest and the financing volume are a clear endorsement of the power of our development product, which is close to production, as well as our business strategy of providing very fast, secure, and seamless connectivity for all mobile applications.
“Pole Position for Unio”
Marco Fuchs, CEO of Ohb SE added:
"Unio comes at exactly the right time to serve the growing market for customized space applications. Thanks to the shared expertise of its partners, Unio is in pole position to address the market for secure and fast communications. Unio's business perfectly complements our existing portfolio. We are therefore very excited to be part of the future of satellite communications."
And Rudolf F. Schwarz, CEO and owner of IABG, says:
"The demand for Earth observation data and seamless 5G SatCom connectivity is increasing in various areas. Unio offers a solution by combining various elements in its ecosystem – from satellite construction and launch capabilities to laser and RF links and satellite operations. For me, this model epitomizes a New Space value chain. I am therefore delighted to become a shareholder of Unio, not least because IABG can contribute some of our innovative solutions and products to the partnership."
