Alpine Space Ventures specializes in early-stage investments in the space sector. The VC’s focus is on technologies that, in its assessment, have the strongest market demand and the shortest path to commercialization: satellite connectivity and geodata. 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. The VC manages approximately €100 million in assets.
Alpine Space Ventures’s portfolio includes the Munich startups Reflex Aerospace and Blackwave. Reflex Aerospace develops satellite platforms tailored to the individual needs of its customers, while Blackwave develops and manufactures highly complex carbon components that cannot be produced using conventional manufacturing processes. Additional portfolio companies include Morpheus Space from Dresden and the two US companies K2 Space and Source Energy. Overall, the investor intends to accept no more than 15 startups in its portfolio in order to provide the best possible support to the founding teams.
Alpine Space Ventures receives funding from NATO
The VC has now secured €10 million from the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF). The venture capital fund of the alliance is equipped with €1 billion, which is to be used for investments in technologies at the intersection of cutting-edge technology, security, and resilience. The NIF includes areas such as defense and space as well as topics such as energy, autonomy, climate, industry, and biotechnology. The NIF operates as an independent VC and is active in both early-stage investments and fund-of-funds.
Bülent Altan, founding partner of Alpine Space Ventures, explains:
“This investment by the NATO Innovation Fund underscores the crucial role of space technologies in addressing today’s complex security challenges. The inherent nature of space applications ensures that the innovations we support will not only enhance the alliance’s technological capabilities but will also advance the commercial space industry.”
And Thorsten Claus from the NATO Innovation Fund adds:
“In line with the NIF’s confidence in the role of space for a lasting future of the alliance, our fund-of-funds investment in Alpine Space Ventures aligns with our commitment to the security of space-based and ground-based infrastructure that is critical to operations on land, in the air, at sea, and in cyberspace. The team at Alpine Space Ventures has convinced us with its considerable experience in the space industry and exceptional technical expertise. We look forward to seeing how their business portfolio will transform the space industry.”
