“How do I invest in private space companies?” 

I get asked this a lot (reasonable, given that I write about space investing). To answer this question, I wanted to introduce the platforms out there now that make it possible to invest in the commercial space industry. In this newsletter, I’ll answer:

1. Why invest in private space companies?

2. What space-investing platforms are out there?

3. Why now?

Let’s dive in.

Why Invest in Private Space Companies?

There’s no sugarcoating it: Early-stage, venture-backed startups are a risky asset class to invest in. And “frontier tech”—new, boundary-pushing innovations like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and especially (you guessed it) space tech—might be the riskiest of all.

But for those willing to take a risk, opportunity awaits. To invest in space is to bet on a field with dazzling potential—the potential to expand the horizon of innovation and even shape humanity’s future (and you might make some money along the way, too).

The Platforms

Space Angels

Space Angels, founded in 2015, is the oldest and most prominent US-based network of angel investors in the space industry. Space Angels provides insights and investment opportunities in the “space economy” and offers investors a sleek platform to manage their portfolios. The firm sources “only the top 1% of space investment opportunities”. Through Space Angels, investors have access to early and growth-stage investment opportunities as they become available. 

So far, the platform has provided private investors access to big names in the space industry, including Rocket Lab (which builds rockets), Planet (which maps Earth from orbit), LeoLabs (uses radar to track objects in space), and SpaceX (which builds rockets and offers space internet).

The Space Angels team also operates a traditional venture capital fund called Space Capital. The fund finds companies and invests on behalf of its Limited Partners. The first Space Capital fund, started in 2017, invested $16 million1 in over a dozen companies; Space Capital is currently investing out of their second fund. The fund also publishes thorough quarterly reports on the state of investments in the space industry.

The Space Angels platform can be accessed here:

Seraphim

Seraphim is a UK-based platform that offers several investment options—most notably, the Seraphim Fund, an early-stage venture fund that focuses mostly on early-stage, Series A investments. Seraphim also operates the Seraphim Space Camp, a program—called an “accelerator”—that provides mentorship, capital, and connections for promising pre-seed and seed-stage companies. At the end of Space Camp, Seraphim organizes a demo day in which graduating companies can make pitches to angel investors in the Seraphim network to raise early funding rounds.

Seraphim has also gotten creative about giving public equity investors access to early-stage space companies. The Seraphim Space Investment Trust PLC is traded on the London Stock Exchange and has holdings in early- to growth-stage space companies. This allows public investors, who might not meet the “qualified investor” requirements, to own equity in private space companies.

Check out Seraphim here:

Sponsored by

The Space Investor is a curated weekly newsletter focused on investing in space. We are your source for space investment news, research and analysis across public and private markets. Delivered on Friday afternoons, we are read by top space VCs, companies and organizations - including Space Capital, Seraphim Space, Blue Origin, Planet, Nanoracks and NASA.Sign up today for free.

Spaced Ventures

Spaced Ventures is unique. For the other platforms I’ve discussed, individual investors must check certain boxes—for example, they must be qualified to make private investments according to government-set minimums on income or net worth. By contrast, anyone can invest on the Spaced Ventures platform. Because Spaced Ventures crowdfunds to raise capital for space startups, individuals can invest as little as $100 into each company while still taking equity ownership. Companies are identified and vetted by Spaced Ventures and made available to investors on a rolling basis. The firm’s approach reflects its goal: To build the largest community of investors in the space industry.

Spaced Ventures also maintains an extensive database of funding rounds in the space industry, a resource available for free on their website.

Why Now?

As with so much in the space industry, these platforms are new. All of them are less than a decade old; Spaced Ventures was introduced in 2021. But they’ve expanded quickly, a reflection of growing interest in the industry. It’s too early to know for certain how the investments facilitated through these platforms will fare, but we’re already seeing successes: For example, multiple companies raised funding rounds through these platforms and went on to be listed on public exchanges, including Rocket Lab, Spire Global, and Planet Labs. 

In other words, momentum is building—and investors keep coming back for more.

Liked This Read?

Please share with friends:

If you don’t already subscribe to SpaceDotBiz, you can do so here: