Panel: The New Space Race - Raising Capital in the Space Sector

Join venture capitalists (VCs), angel investors, and two successful businesses who have navigated the fundraising landscape within the space industry. Gain valuable insights into the unique challenges and opportunities of securing investment for space-related ventures, from early-stage startups to established companies. Explore innovative financing strategies, investor perspectives, and best practices for crafting compelling pitches that resonate with potential backers. Whether you're a space entrepreneur seeking funding or an investor looking to explore opportunities in this exciting frontier, this panel offers invaluable perspectives and actionable insights to propel your journey in the new space race.

Speaker Information

Evangelos Zympeloudis, Founder and CEO, iCOMAT - Evangelos holds a PhD in advanced composites manufacturing from the University of Bristol and is the founder and CEO of iCOMAT. iCOMAT is on a mission to unlock the performance of composite materials and carbon fiber to enable the lightest vehicles possible across aerospace and automotive. iCOMAT just opened its first factory and is in the process of a significant scale-up and international expansion.

Giles Moore, Regional Development Manager, Par Equity -  Giles is a serial entrepreneur, having founded and scaled a handful of tech companies, raising both angel and VC money. In 2023, Giles took up his current role as Regional Development Manager leading Par Equity's expansion into Yorkshire and the North of England. Par Equity is a leading venture capital firm, with a focus on startups and scaleups in the North of UK only. Par Equity’s investment thesis is to combine the professionalism and rigour of a venture capital manager with the skills and expertise of a broad base of individual investors who can add value throughout the investment life cycle. 

Mike Stephens, CEO, Entrepreneurial Spark - Mike is the CEO of Entrepreneurial Spark, one of the longest established accelerators in the UK. He has a deeply-held belief in the power of creativity and curiosity to change the world, hence his love of working with entrepreneurs. He sees the limitless possibilities in people and businesses and is always working on something new, with an infectious imagination and a constant desire to do better. Mike joined Entrepreneurial Spark in 2015 after 12 years in banking, specialising in growth finance for SMEs. He re-founded the business after an exit, and has owned and led ES since 2018, walking the founder’s journey along with the entrepreneurs the accelerator supports. As well as having raised investment himself, Mike has supported and enabled fundraising of over £100m across debt and equity transactions.

Shruti Iyengar, Investment Manager, Future Planet Capital - Shruti is the Investment Lead for Space-tech investments within the UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund and supports investments on the Blue Ocean Fund.

Prior to joining Future Planet Capital, she was an Investor with an early-stage climate tech fund, Sustainable Ventures, where she managed a portfolio of 36 companies, lead their 12 month-long Accelerator programme, and built out their impact measurement practice.

Shruti began her career in Singapore where she worked with organizations across Southeast Asia to build out their impact investing and innovation strategies. She was involved with developing numerous incubator programmes for early-stage deep-tech companies and mentored founders scale their businesses across verticals such as food/agri-tech, healthcare, water tech, and sustainability, while also supporting the Government of Singapore's SME innovation programmes. She is currently a mentor and investment expert on the UKSA Fusion Bootcamp programme and continues to actively supports early-stage founders in the sector through similar initiatives.

Shruti holds a dual degree in Mathematics and Economics from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and is a Women's Merit Scholar from London Business School's Master's in Finance programme.