AC Ventures invests in early-stage companies involved in the space industry and its related services and enabling technologies.
We are seeking investments in companies involved in:
Space data services applications (earth imaging, applications using sat data, etc.)
Space exploration technologies
Enabling technologies and components (advanced materials, AI, robotics, etc.)
Space industry news and data
Space-focused STEM education and media
The spaceflight revolution in cost-to-launch has transformed the space industry. Now, passionate people who want to help bring humanity out into the universe and use space technologies to solve everyday problems here on Earth have the vehicles to do so. However, while the space industry has many great engineers and dreamers, historically it has been significantly driven by government programs executed within large institutions. As a result, there are relatively less people in the space industry with practical, nuts-and-bolts business building experience than in other tech sectors. Similarly, there is less of an investment and advisory ecosystem than other sectors, particularly for companies with goals that are socially and scientifically important, but may be of modest absolute size.
We are here to give entrepreneurs another option beyond friends and family for investment and advice on the many issues that are “boring but important” to succeed.
Our focus is on niche, underserved companies. If you are building a U.S.-based business with a compelling business plan and established team looking to raise $5+ million for a projected revenue stream above $20 million in five years, then there are various choices available to you from space-focused venture groups and tech funds with a space strategy.
But, what if you have a plan for building a niche subscription business on based on analysis of augmented sat data that by its very nature won’t see projected revenues past $5 million even five years out? Or maybe you have a new application for an existing product that will be incrementally useful and profitable with a little repurposing investment, but still just a $3 million annual revenue stream even 10 years out? In that range, it is difficult to find a source of funding that can also give strategic advice, because there just isn’t enough money to put to work to make it worth the VC’s time. Or what if your team is located in an emerging market where there is less of a startup and venture capital culture? It may again be hard to locate interested investors and even harder to find advice on matters like selling into the financial markets or how to build a cross-border team. We want to hear about cases like this.
We look for a respectable return as part of impact investing. We are excited to help make a project happen that might not occur otherwise or with greater difficultly. Plainly stated: we see more impact in being your partner in an 8x project that needs real advice, than for us to be the fourth investor in a 10x deal that will get funded anyway.
Our office is in Melbourne, Florida (near Kennedy Space Center) and we are available to meet here on the Space Coast or at your location.
We are not pursuing investments in launch, large team projects, or projects that require significant capex to reach initial revenue generation. Our geographical interest is the Americas, Africa, and Europe.