The Dutch business incubation programme of the European Space Agency, ESA BIC Noordwijk, runs an open call for startups to apply to join as an ESA BIC incubatee and reap the benefit that brings – funding, plus technical and business support. The pre-incubation training run by SBIC Noordwijk offers chance for early-stage teams to validate their space business idea in preparation for applying for incubation. The most recent edition of the Ignition Programme recently concluded with a record number of teams in the cohort successfully graduating and you can get a taster of the 4 week course in this report. These and any other entrepreneurs with a validated space business idea are invited to apply for ESA BIC Noordwijk. Apply by 5 Oct 2026
Space business support from SBIC Noordwijk
The recent edition of the Ignition Programme saw an unprecedented number of applications and so the 15 places in the cohort were much sought after. The format of the training course saw the three expert trainers – Derk Schneemann, Jeroen Coelen and Jacobo Domingo – take the participants on an entrepreneurial journey.
The goal is to deepen the various aspects of a successful idea. In essence, the programme educates startups to develop an insight-based and validated business plan, and helps them to gain a good understanding of the needs of potential customers.
Fine-tuned advice from the network
As well as the mentors, the team members at SBIC Noordwijk – and partners – were on hand to support all the selected space business teams, each of which had an important space connection. The participants’ ideas covered a broad spectrum of space assets, from downstream to upstream. The course focused on the product–market fit, go-to-market strategies and understanding of the needs of potential customers, as well as the startup mindset. Identifying unique value and business validation.
Alongside the various workshops, participants had the opportunity to meet and discuss with a number of SBIC partners. Many interesting conversations were had both in the formal expert sessions and informally over lunch and during the networking with: incubation partner Wecountancy; technical partners Lencon, Solidflow and Telespazio Belgium: and community partners Dynova, NL Space Campus and TeekensKarstens.
Final day and pitch competition
As is now a tradition on the last day of the Ignition, the final day of the programme concludes with a pitch competition. At this event, the 15 teams presented their ideas and teams to an audience of the SBIC community and partners, as well as peers from the programme.
The pitches were also presented in front of a panel of experts in the jury. Jacobo explained: “The goal of the pitch session was for each team to tell a coherent story as if they were speaking to potential investors or investing stakeholders, one that showcases good understanding of problem and ideal customer.”
Jury and audience pitch competition winners
Meerkat Communications was selected as the overall winner of the pitch competition, thanks to the jury members – Parya Pasha (CEO of ESA BIC alumnus Marmoris), Marc Sandelowsky (director of NL Space Campus) and Dirk-Jan Smit (board member of SBIC Participations) – who each provided critical feedback and pointed out any weak spots in the presentations.
The audience also got chance to vote for a favourite pitch – via an innovative app developed by Jacobo specifically for the occasion – and LV Energy was selected for that prize. Congratulations to all and thanks to all who participated.
Stepping stone towards incubation
The pre-incubation course is supported by the European Space Agency and endorsed by the Netherlands Space Agency. As of September 2026, there are currently 40 ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs) across Europe. The ESA BIC network has been at the forefront of Europe’s space innovation – experiencing exceptional growth since its establishment in Noordwijk more than 20 years ago – nurturing startups that are reshaping the industry. In 2024 alone, companies supported by the network of ESA BICs generated over 321 million euros in revenue, representing a substantial increase from 186 million euros in 2020. This impressive growth underscores the expanding strength and competitiveness of Europe’s space startup ecosystem.
We are curious now to see how many of the Ignition teams will go on to successfully gain a place at the incubation programme at ESA BIC Noordwijk. There have been many teams that took the successful path of pre-incubation as a step towards incubation, such as Spherical, Marmoris, Revolv Space, Soilspect and, the most recent to join, Earthexplorer – who started incubation on 1 July 2026.
The course refocuses the entrepreneurial mindset and highlights the importance of bringing customers to the forefront, as the CEO of Earthexplorer Corné van der Sande. explains: “With so many years working as a business developer, one could think that formulating a startup is easy; it’s not. The Ignition Programme forced me to go out of my daily bubble and dive into the client’s user pains.”
Congratulations to all Ignition Programme graduates and we hope to see you at SBIC soon!
APPLY TO ESA BIC NOORDWIJK
The Dutch business incubation programme of the European Space Agency, ESA BIC Noordwijk, runs an open call for startups to apply to join as an ESA BIC incubatee and reap the benefit that brings – funding, plus technical and business support – as well as being part of our community at SBIC Noordwijk and being close to ESTEC. In this programme, entrepreneurs work with upstream space tech or space related technologies to create impact on Earth. The next selection deadline is 5 Oct 2026. esa-bic.nl
Launch your space business at ESA BIC Noordwijk!
Got a promising idea? Apply to ESA BIC Noordwijk by 5 Oct 2026.
