Last month Techstars and Starburst announced the launch of the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator in partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin, Maxar Technologies, SAIC, and Israel Aerospace Industries North America (IAI North America).  This program is the first of its kind, bringing together industrial, military, and civil space leaders to support entrepreneurs disrupting the space industry.

Venture funding for space tech companies is at a high point and still rising, federal funding and interest in space is strong, and thanks to rapid commercial innovation in launch capabilities, it’s never been easier for an entrepreneur to get their technology into orbit.

While this is the first space-focused accelerator program for Techstars, this isn’t our first time investing in space-oriented companies, such as Techstars portfolio companies like Slingshot Aerospace (Techstars LA), Kepler Communications (Techstars Seattle), and Skywatch (Techstars NYC).

If you’re an entrepreneur building a space tech company, we want to hear from you! Classic “NewSpace” categories we’re interested in include: SmallSats, Geospatial analytics, Robotics, Avionics, Communications, Earth Observation, In-Space Propulsion, Navigation, Perception, Systems on Chip Computing, Antennas, and Photonics.

Just as technologies developed for the space industry have found their way into other uses (velcro, GPS, freeze drying, LASIK, dustbusters), the space industry is similarly looking to adapt and partner with commercial technologies. We’re interested in relevant technologies developed for industries as diverse as automotive, agriculture, mining, energy, and industrial manufacturing. We’re especially excited to invest in companies with novel applications in artificial intelligence.

Examples of broader enabling technologies we’re looking to invest in include: AI, design and collaboration tools, autonomous systems, LIDAR, terrestrial navigation, drones/UAS, advanced manufacturing, edge computing and big data processing, sensors, and power systems (including energy generation, storage, and management).

Does the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator sound like a good fit for your company? If so, we want to hear from you!

Applications are open now and are due on April 7, 2019.  

Want to learn more?

• Join us on March 21

• Request one-on-one time with me by scheduling  in-person or virtual office hours.

• Come to a Meet and Greet event on April 9 at the National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. If you’ll be in town, we’d love to see you there!

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