News

1. Tell us more about the very beginning of SUN: setting up the team, the excitement, and your very first impressions.

After the successful end of the Astropreneurs project, where we already supported Space Start-ups around Europe it felt very exciting to use the know-how gained in a new endeavour. We were very happy to be part of the Team to set up the SUN project together with great and motivated partners. Brimatech felt early on a very high level of enthusiasm among the partners. This excitement was shared as SUN offered plenty of opportunities to aid startups in the domain of space and build an even stronger network within the space community. This verve was undoubtedly conveyed to the startups which themselves were highly motivated and excited to join SUN. Apart from the excitement it was early on clear that the partners were from various domains with differing backgrounds with the common goal to work jointly and make SUN a success. 

2. These almost three years have brought a lot of challenges, and the project has turned out more virtual than planned. What were the challenges behind it?

Over the last few years, everyone has experienced the advantages and disadvantages of virtual meetings and virtual projects with SUN being no exception. Common issues such as technical issues or lack of engagement did not arise as all partners were well-versed in the tools used and had an intrinsic motivation to contribute to SUN. One challenge which did however arise and was experienced in the first few months of SUN was a lack of rapport as it was difficult to build relationships and create a sense of community without having met the other partners prior to launching SUN. With PODIM in Slovenia, this challenge was resolved as SUN´s first physical meeting was a complete success. Even though SUN´s partners are situated all across Europe in various time zones, the obvious challenge of setting up meetings was never experienced and all meetings were held on time and were joined by most project partners. Major challenges which halted or negatively influenced SUN were not really experienced throughout the duration of the project.

3. SUN is all about helping startups scale in space – what that means to you? 

Scaling in space is all about establishing a place in the space industry. Further, a startup should be able to grow in its respective line of business and be able to build a reputation among stakeholders in the space industry. Such a startup needs a sound business plan which can be validated and resonates with the industry.

 

4. How do you think SUN impacted the startups?

SUN provided support in various forms such as mentor matching, education on the access and use of EO data, financing options and opportunities as well as legal options and many more. Perhaps the biggest impact may have been from the immense network which was built and provided by SUN´s stakeholders as all partners, members and startups were motivated and open to network and provide insights and help to one another. With such tightly woven networks, startups do not only receive greater support but are also able to build strategic partnerships and explore new business opportunities as well as build a European space startup ecosystem with resources to be used by future startups. 

5. The project is now ending! How do you feel about these three years, and what’s still coming in the future?

During these three years, we have made friends and built new relationships with numerous European startups and companies. On the one hand, it is unfortunate that SUN is coming to an end but we are happy and proud to have contributed to not only great European projects but also have contributed to building and improving the European space startup ecosystem. We deeply hope that our efforts help others in their line of business and startups find resources to help them accelerate and scale their operations.