Earth & Beyond Ventures to invest $125m in Israeli deep tech and space startups
Earth & Beyond Ventures (EBV), a new early-stage venture fund backed by global technology, manufacturing and space industry conglomerates, has launched with commitments of $125 million to leverage Israel’s expertise in DeepTech, aerospace and satellite engineering in an effort to boost Israel’s emerging commercial space ecosystem. It is the first fund of its kind in Israel that specifically focuses on supporting deep technology innovations with dual-purpose space and terrestrial applications.
Corning Inc., a global materials and manufacturing giant and a 50-year supplier of materials and products to NASA, is among a prestigious group of corporations backing the new fund, which also includes Japanese electronics giant Kyocera Corp; global electronic connector component manufacturer Samtec; and Spacecom, the Israeli provider of satellite communications services and solutions.
The fund’s general partners include Daniel Recanati (founder of Rhodium), Doron Zauer, dr. Israel Biran and Ofer Asif (on behalf of Spacecom). The group is also backed by the Israel Innovation Authority.
The fund’s launch comes at a time of rapid growth in the “New Space” industry, also known as the commercial or private space industry, which is dominated by the private sector and entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, unlike the traditional space industry , which was primarily funded by the government and focused on space exploration, communications and defense.
Between 2012 and 2021, total annual investment in the commercial space sector grew from $300 million to more than $10 billion, according to McKinsey. Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley both estimated that Space 2.0 could generate more than $1 trillion in revenue by 2040.
Growth in the sector is driven by a combination of factors, including advances in technology, a growing demand for space-based services, and a shift to a more market-driven approach to space activities. Another factor is NASA’s renewed lunar missions, which it sees as a starting point toward more ambitious targets, such as bringing humans to Mars. China, India and the European Space Agency also have strong space programs, while other spacefaring countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan and South Korea maintain ambitious plans for space.
New Space’s immediate market is focused on getting assets into space that can provide services to Earth, including things like improved Earth observation, space-based data storage and processing, improved materials for lighter satellites, manufacturing in space, and drug discovery in microgravity.
With a renewed global interest in space exploration and commercialization, technologies Israelis are developing in everything from semiconductors, robotics, new materials, sensors, smart farms, quantum computers, solar power, cyber security and alternative proteins could become crucial to enabling the use. of and access to space in the near and long term, including eventual Moon and Mars colonization. In the short term, the same technologies will address major markets on Earth and provide solutions to the most pressing problems in climate, energy, materials, computing and more. It is in these commercially focused dual Earth and space technologies that Earth & Beyond Ventures will invest, with check sizes ranging from $0.5 million to $2 million for Seed and Pre-Seed companies.
“Israel’s achievements in developing innovative technologies are world-renowned, but many do not realize that Israel was one of the first countries to design, build and launch its own satellite, a feat that requires tremendous cross-disciplinary expertise and knowledge. how. Together with our investors and partners in the ecosystem, our work at Earth & Beyond Ventures is to identify and support the profound technologies and ideas that can become powerful applications not only here on Earth, but also in space,” said Earth & Beyond. Beyond Ventures CEO Baruch Schori said.
Kyocera’s investment in the fund is particularly noteworthy as the multibillion-dollar company, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electronic components and ceramics with applications across automotive, mobile devices, advanced sensors, solar panels and more, is also a strategic supplier to the space is. industry, with components in telescopes, space probes and satellites.
“I am very pleased to have the opportunity to work with Earth & Beyond Ventures to explore new business opportunities in the Israeli space technology market, which we see as a high future growth potential. Kyocera Group has contributed to spacetech through a wide line of products, and I look forward to seeing many more contributions come from this strategic investment in Israel and in Earth & Beyond Ventures,” said Koichi Kano, Director and Managing Executive Officer, Kyocera Corporation.
Earth & Beyond’s advisory board is packed with aerospace and technology paraphernalia, including former Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) CEO Yossi Weiss, the head of the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology’s Space Research Institute prof. Ehud Bachar, and the former Minister of Science Yizhar Shay. In addition to its investment activities, Earth & Beyond Ventures works with international and local strategic partners to build the Israeli space technology ecosystem, which it supports through its broad mentor and professional advisor network.
