The first ESA Investment Forum took place last month at the European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands. This new event attracted more than 100 participants from all over Europe, including representatives from the finance and investment communities, the European Special Applications Fund and 20 start-up companies.
The Forum was organised by ESA’s Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO) in collaboration with EC-projects FinanceSpace and INVESaT, The main mission of the TTPO is to facilitate the use of space technology and space systems for non-space applications and to further demonstrate the benefit of the European Space Programme to European citizens.
Over the past 40 years, space programmes have invested time and money in raising technologies to new levels of performance and capability. Many of these technologies have then been transferred to applications on Earth where they have generated countless business opportunities. Examples include satellite-based services for telecommunications, navigation and Earth monitoring.
“The focus of the Investment Forum is to highlight the commercial benefits of satellite and space technology in applications on Earth and to give potential investors an opportunity to meet with a number of start-up companies using spin-offs from space technology,” explained Frank M. Salzgeber, acting Head of the TTP office.
During the Forum, 20 selected start-up companies presented their business plans to demonstrate the investment potential in spinning satellite and space technology back into Earth applications. Presentations covered a broad spectrum of technologies originating from space, including sensors, navigation data, satellite communication and imaging technology and described how these could be applied in diverse industrial sectors such as the automotive, medical, offshore, security, energy, sports and transport industries.
E-Synergy Ltd also made a presentation to introduce their Call for Investment to raise money for the European Special Applications Fund. “E-Synergy is raising private finance to operate a O40 million European fund, which will specialise in the commercial application of satellite and space technology to non-space applications,” said Richard Brook, founding director of E-Synergy Ltd.
The Investment Forum gave a good overview of the potential commercial benefits emerging from the space sector. Participants were particularly impressed by the selected business cases and welcomed the opportunity to establish valuable contacts between start-up companies and investment communities. In view of the success of the ESA Investment Forum 2007, ESA’s Technology Transfer Programme Office is already planning next year’s event.
Full article ‘ESA Investment Forum 2007 – Helping companies to grow’.
