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In this episode, we welcome two more guests: Nina Stary and Maria Jahnke, the founders of the spacetech-focused market research firm Capitol Momentum. “Newspace Industry Report Germany” and associated Updates The market researcher draws a detailed picture of the industry in Germany. Incidentally, anyone who would like to support Capitol Momentum's research can submit their New Space startup on the Website of the company.
Business models and priorities
After a brief round of introductions, starting at minute 6:05, we'll focus on the various business models in the New Space Economy. A general distinction is made between upstream (primarily hardware for the infrastructure and associated services) and downstream (distribution and processing of satellite signals). We'll take a closer look at the "Beyond Earth" category, which includes companies whose business takes place beyond Earth's orbit (starting at minute 10:55). Sensodrive and Terraplasma Two of the three German startups in this area come from Munich.
Next (minute 13:50), we explore a key area emerging in the German New Space industry. It becomes clear that the majority of companies can be assigned to the upstream market, with the development and manufacture of hardware, as well as the provision of related software and engineering services, dominating the market.
Start-ups and financing in the New Space Economy
Starting at minute 18:50, we address the question of how the New Space Economy is evolving. We begin by focusing on new startups, clarifying not only how the number of newly registered startups compares to the general economic trend, but also the background of the startups. Universities and research institutes play a particularly important role here.
We then address the question of financing for new space startups (starting at minute 21:05). We not only discuss the current financing situation and the startups' financial needs, but also take a look at which investors are particularly interested in the sector.
Who are the customers?
Of course, new space startups also have to address the question of who should actually buy their product. Our conversation (from minute 29:15) reveals that not only do almost all startups have commercial customers, but also that the majority of these come from the non-space sector. In the downstream segment, customers include agriculture, the energy and construction sectors, the transportation industry, healthcare, and the transportation and automotive sectors. In the upstream segment, however, customers primarily come from the space sector. This could change in the future, however, if, for example, the automotive industry, which requires satellite constellations for autonomous driving, becomes a customer.
Munich: Hotspot of the New Space industry
Starting at minute 33:00, we take a detailed look at the Munich ecosystem, which has developed into one of the hotspots of the German new space industry. The universities and the favorable funding environment play a particularly important role here.
