Seraphim kicks off 10th space accelerator

The tenth cohort of Seraphim Capital's space tech accelerator, Seraphim Space Accelerator (in the US it is called Generation Space Accelerator), is about to get started with the help of nine startups across four continents.

The London-based venture firm has carved out a niche for early-stage space innovation financing this side of the Atlantic but now has a truly global remit stretching well beyond Europe.

Previous graduates have included US-based Xona Space and Opteran, which raised $15 million and $12 million earlier this year.

Seraphim's latest "mission" incorporates software, hardware and materials startups, ranging from blockchain to digital twins, from space-bound materials to removing space debris and to delivering situational awareness to satellites.  

In the previous nine cohorts some 230 corporate entities, state agencies and over 500 investors have partnered the accelerator, helping 62 startups graduate which went on to raise $210 million in investment and $46 million in grant funding.

Rob Desborough, managing partner and CEO at Seraphim Space, said: "Mission 10 is a fantastic milestone for us and as such, we're proud to have such a globally diverse cohort.

"The space sector has gone through considerable developments over the last five years and the startups we're welcoming as part of Mission 10, are a clear indicator of how quickly the industry is going."

The accelerator is backed by Seraphim's fund targeting space investments, the Seraphim Space Investment Trust.

Billed as the first space fund with equity traded on public markets, Seraphim Space Investment has capacity to back early-to-growth stage space tech businesses across various segments, for instance climate tech, communications mobility and cyber security.

Seraphim's 10th space accelerator mission, which lasts 13 weeks, includes:

• Auriga - a kinetic launch system developer using Hyperloop technology.
• Teris Earth Intelligence - 3D digital twins that monitor critical infrastructure, for space missions, on Earth.
• Rhea Space - building technology billed as "cost-effective" Space Situational Awareness, allowing GEO satellites to navigate more safely.
• Kall Morris - will look to monetise spacecraft for collecting lethal space debris
• SpaceDots - testing of small components and materials to see how they perform in orbital conditions.
• 3IPK - wants to roll up blockchain, data analysis and AI into an SaaS package for digitising aerospace and its supply chains.
• Reorbit - sustainability and making space systems that can be reused, not discarded.
• Nominal Systems - a graphical interface that allows ground control to monitor and "edit" satellites while in orbit, preventing systems failure.
• Elevation Space - creator of R&D for materials development in space.