Promus Ventures, a Chicago, IL- San Francisco, CA and Luxembourg based deep-tech venture capital firm, closed its Orbital Ventures Fund, at €120M.
The European Investment Fund committed €40M, adding to the Fund’s international exposure. Other investors include international corporate, institutional, and private investors, as well as public actors. Among them is the Luxembourg Government via the Ministry of the Economy and the National Credit and Investment Institution (SNCI).
The fund is focusing on early stage, space-related companies across a broad spectrum of areas such as:
- Space-based telecommunications networks and services
- Geospatial location-based services and applications
- Space-related technologies and innovation (robotics, sensors, data)
- Earth observation and environmental monitoring
- Transportation and logistics – efficiency and safety
- Space resource utilisation and exploration
Since its first close in January 2020, the vehicle has invested in several companies, including:
- Isotropic Systems (UK), producing a multi-beam, high bandwidth satellite terminals which support the growth of the satellite industry;
- Ellipsis Drive (NL), building a data platform that shares geospatial information;
- Fernride (DE), technology-as-a-service provider of remotely operated and fully automated driverless logistics;
- Akasha Imaging (US), leveraging imaging and deep learning to create computer vision systems that enable manufacturing robots to see better;
- Recycleye (UK), using artificial intelligence and robots to automate and accelerate the waste management process
- Wakeo (FR), addressing international supply chain disruptions with multimodal real-time visibility, advanced analytics, and environmental emissions tracking.
Founded in 2012 and led by Pierre Festal, Partner, Promus Ventures invests in early-stage deep-tech startups solving complex problems to advance everyday lives across the world. From offices in Chicago, San Francisco and Luxembourg, Promus Ventures has invested in over 90 early-stage startups in the US, Europe, UK, and New Zealand. Some of its leading portfolio investments include Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB), Whoop, Spire (NYSE: SPIR), Mapbox, ICEYE, Bellabeat, Swift Navigation, AngelList, Behavox, Gauss Surgical, Figure Eight, Isotropic Systems, Halter, Cobalt and numerous others.
FinSMEs
25/10/2021