Space startups meet leading investors

Following on from the success of last year’s event (see report here), at which a new investor network was launched, we are pleased to announce the investor event targeting space entrepreneurs and startups from across Europe is back! The level of interest is high and, to meet demand, this new Space Investor Event is happening only 6 months after the last edition. It will once again bring together ambitious businesses in the space domain with leading investors.

Mark your calendars for Thursday 16 April. If you are a tech startup active in the development of innovative software and/or hardware – for instance in artificial intelligence (AI), Earth observation or related fields, then we can help you on the path to attaining that goal. The event is all about matching top investors and innovative ventures in the space sector.

Take part in an afternoon that will likely edge you closer to your next funding round. Good to know that you don’t have to go it alone – as there is the opportunity in advance of the event to receive support. Selected participants will be helped to prepare during individual discussions with an experienced funding expert.

Pitching, matchmaking and networking

The process will have a pre-selection phase and, on the day, dynamic pitches from the space startups will inspire the leading investors in the audience. Following this, there will be time for matchmaking and networking, allowing investors and entrepreneurs to engage in meaningful dialogue and explore potential collaborations.

EVENT DETAILS

Where & when

Date: Thu 16 Apr 2026
Time: 13:30 to 17:00
Location: Noordwijk

Programme

There will be six startups selected to pitch to the finance experts in the audience. Investment companies confirmed to take part will be added to this page soon. A broad range of investors have taken part in previous editions – from 4Impact Capital and Arches Capital to Rabobank and VP Capital.

Investors at the 2026 event:

• Not yet available

(Investor list will be updated on this page once information is made available)

Eligibility of entrepreneurs

This event is for you if you are:

• Active in the development of innovative software and/or hardware – for instance AI technology, Earth observation data or related fields
• Looking for funding between €100K and €5M, either already in the raising process or starting in the next 12 months
• Open to funding in the form of direct equity, convertible loan agreements (CLAs) or a combination of dilutive and non-dilutive funding
• Driven team with a clear growth ambition.

Startup selection process

As this event is highly curated, all registrations will go through a selection process. The six startups selected to pitch at the event will get help to prepare. The entrepreneurs will have 1-on-1 sessions with an experienced funding expert to ensure they are well-equipped to speak with potential investors.

Eligible companies can register now to be considered to take part in this event. Registration does not guarantee attendance; six companies will be selected to pitch during the programme and all applicants will be contacted after registration to be updated on the next stages of the process.

Registration deadline: Thu 26 Mar (by 23:59 CEST)
Registration link: click here

All those registered will hear from KplusV about the outcome of their application.

LAUNCH YOUR STARTUP

Want to get support from the Dutch business incubator of the European Space Agency to launch your space startup? Join our info sessions to find out more.

The post Space Investor Event on 16 Apr calling for participation (register by: 26 Mar) appeared first on Space Business Innovation Centre Noordwijk.

View the related blog on the Space4Good website

Commitment to sustainable forestry

The investment by Arches Capital, Empower Impact and Indigo Ventures represents a strong commitment to the growing market for sustainable forestry and climate intelligence and will enable Space4Good to focus on three areas. The company will scale its forest intelligence platform Forester, bringing highly accurate deforestation insights to tropical regions across Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. Both the team and its operations will be expanded to meet growing international demand for verifiable environmental data. Space4Good will also leverage customer insights to continuously enhance and diversify its product suite.

The investing groups believe in Space4Good’s team, its innovative proposition, and its potential for global environmental and social impact at scale.

Space4Good initially met Arches Capital via the Space Investor Event – click for report >>

Innovative tech with potential for societal impact

Space4Good has been providing local impact leaders with operational insights to support data-driven ecosystem management since 2017. In 2024, with support from the European Space Agency and the Netherlands Space Office, Space4Good launched Forester.

This subscription-based platform supports forestry companies and conservation organisations in their fight against illegal deforestation. Designed to support those on the frontlines, it enables targeted, proactive action by providing near-real-time alerts, deforestation risk predictions, and streamlined reporting for compliance and enforcement.

Since trained forest guards began using the platform, gaining data insights from multiple satellite systems, there has been a significant reduction in illegal deforestation rates, while also lowering associated security and surveillance costs. Forester is being piloted by forest managers in Indonesia and Brazil and is currently protecting over 350,000 hectares of tropical rainforest. Clients report a 60 per cent drop in deforestation rates and 80 per cent lower monitoring costs by integrating accurate, satellite-driven monitoring, thereby reducing their sole reliance on labour-intensive field audits.

Providing actionable environmental insights

The investors explained further about supporting this initiative. “We see in Space4Good a rare combination of deep technical expertise and genuine drive to improve natural ecosystems,” says Diederik Stolk, partner at Arches Capital. “Their ability to transform satellite data into actionable intelligence has the potential to redefine how organisations and stewards monitor and protect natural ecosystems globally.”

From Indigo Ventures, Rutger van Zuidam first met Space4Good via a Dutch hackathon and he introduced the team to Willie Smits. “The AI platform Forester is already preventing forest fires and illegal deforestation at scale. Their collaboration with rainforest engineer Willie Smits and partners in Indonesia shows an inspiring ability to co-create with clients and local stakeholders,” comments Rutger.

“This investment marks a major milestone for Space4Good as it enables us to leverage 8 years of project experience into scalable and therefore more impactful products,” said Alexander Gunkel, CEO of Space4Good. “With backing from Arches Capital, Empower Impact and Indigo Ventures, we can make Forester more powerful and accessible, thereby empowering more and more businesses and communities to safeguard their forests and their people.”

As several ecological tipping points approach and our planetary boundaries are exceeded, the importance of protecting and regenerating our natural ecosystems is more pressing than ever. Space4Good aims to be at the forefront of this global mission by providing actionable environmental insights everywhere, anytime.

This news was issued in a press release; details available on the Space4Good website.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

About Arches Capital
Arches Capital is is a collective of angel investors in the Netherlands focusing on Benelux business-to-business software companies. arches.capital

About Empower Impact
Empower Impact invests in business-to-business and software-as-a-service solutions that build around sustainability and impact. empowerimpact.nl

About Indigo Ventures
Indigo Ventures is an independent investor initiative led by Rutger van Zuidam, founder of DutchChain and Odyssey, that backs purpose-driven technology ventures. linkedin.com/in/rutgervz

About Space4Good
Space4Good is a social enterprise utilising earth observation technology for social and environmental impact. space4good.com

About Forester
Forester is Space4Good’s forest intelligence platform helping forestry companies and conservation organisations detect deforestation early, predict risks, and have automatic reporting for compliance and enforcement. space4good.com/forester

Media contacts
Elke Sauter (primary), elke@space4good.com
Alexander Gunkel (secondary), alex@space4good.com

Space4Good is a technical partner of SBIC; find out more in the interview with Alexander Gunkel

Related post:

Space4Good continues technical partnership offering geospatial support to ESA BIC startups

21 Mar 2024: Space4Good joined the partner network of SBIC Noordwijk in 2022 and we caught up with founder Alexander Gunkel to get an update of what’s been happening at this innovative social enterprise in its mission to use space technology for social and environmental good. As a technical partner of SBIC, Space4Good is available to support ESA BIC startups by offering geospatial expertise.

Also of interest:

The post Space4Good receives investment to scale its environmental insights services appeared first on Space Business Innovation Centre Noordwijk.

The scene was set at the start of the event with a keynote from Philip Thomas, head of the ScaleUp Programme Division at ESA’s Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness Directorate. He emphasised the importance of supporting entrepreneurship and commercialising space tech and driving investment into scaling up Europe’s space industry.

Space startups meet investors

One of the participants at the event last year – SBIC technical partner Space4Good – also took to the stage for an interview with the matched investor Arches Capital, offering insights into the process (read more about this successful match here). Next, the startups for the current event took to the stage.

The format of the Space Investor Event 2025 saw the selected companies pitching to the representatives of a number of investors in the audience at SBIC Noordwijk. For tech startups active in the development of innovative software and/or hardware, the initiative sees them being matched with leading investors to help then on the path to attaining that goal. Out of the numerous applications received, six ventures were selected to pitch their innovative business solutions.

The startups pitching on-stage included four that had taken part in the ESA BIC Noordwijk programme (alumni Arceon and Avy; and current incubatees Gravity Gardens and RegenRate) and one alumnus from ESA BIC Czech Republic. Each of the startups were matched with various investors and had plenty of chances to continue the discussions during the CometLab official opening, which took place straight after the investor event just a stone’s throw away. After the event, Paulino Valdes (CEO of ESA BIC incubatee Gravity Gardens) was enthusiastic about having been matched with and connected to a number of the relevant investors and looked forward to continued discussions.

ESA BIC Noordwijk alumni and incubatees at the event:

Launch of new investor network

At the end of the afternoon, there was an announcement that came as the culmination of discussions highlighting the interest for continued collaboration between the financial stakeholders and investment professionals: the launch of a Space Investor Community – a network where investors actively engage, share knowledge and collaborate to drive innovation in the sector. The plans are to hold exclusive investor-only events and continue with the annual Space Investor Event as a platform for selected entrepreneurs to pitch to this network of investors. Read more in the KplusV issued news release here.

SBIC Noordwijk regularly organises and hosts various events for the space business community:

The post Successful Space Investor Event 2025 accelerating innovation in the space sector appeared first on Space Business Innovation Centre Noordwijk.