space-economy
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The Venture Fund Betting $15 Million on the Moment Science Becomes a Business
Tau Capital avoids the laboratory lottery and the late-stage crowd. Its target is the difficult middle - proven technology, unfinished business model, and founders who need more than a check to cross the gap.
Space Capital Is Betting the Next Great Software Platform Is 12,000 Miles Up
The New York venture firm treats rockets as plumbing and satellite data as raw material. Its real wager is that GPS, geospatial intelligence and satellite communications will become the quiet infrastructure beneath everyday business.
Spaceium Inc.
Spaceium is a Y Combinator (S24) aerospace startup building unmanned refueling and servicing stations in orbit - what its founders call service stations along a 'space superhighway.' Its proprietary cryogenic storage system holds multiple metric tons of fuel for up to a decade in orbit without boil-off, and its high-precision robotic arm transfers propellant and performs repairs. The goal is to let spacecraft top up in space instead of carrying all their fuel from launch, extending missions and lowering costs for satellites, orbital transfer vehicles, and eventual Moon and Mars missions.
Bridgit Mendler
Bridgit Mendler is the co-founder and CEO of Northwood Space, an El Segundo startup mass-producing phased-array ground stations to move data between satellites and Earth. A former Disney Channel lead (Teddy Duncan on Good Luck Charlie) and platinum-selling pop singer, she pivoted through the MIT Media Lab and Harvard Law School into deep-tech, and by early 2026 had raised more than $100 million and won a $49.8M U.S. Space Force contract to modernize the Satellite Control Network.
Relativity Space
Relativity Space is an American aerospace company building rockets in a radically different way - by 3D printing the bulk of each vehicle with its proprietary Stargate metal printers and autonomous robotics. Founded in 2015, it became the first company to launch a largely 3D-printed rocket (Terran 1) in 2023, and is now focused on Terran R, a medium-to-heavy-lift, fully reusable launch vehicle aimed at the commercial and government markets. Under CEO Eric Schmidt, who took the helm in 2025, the company is also exploring orbital infrastructure for AI and high-performance computing.