Raven Space Systems
Raven Space Systems is a privately held U.S. startup that has patented a Microwave Assisted Deposition 3D printing process to manufacture aerospace-grade thermoset and ceramic composites. The company primarily serves the U.S. Department of Defense and aerospace prime contractors with thermal protection, hypersonic, and structural composite components.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersKansas City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Raven Space Systems does
Raven Space Systems is a venture-backed, privately held U.S. startup (founded 2020) that has developed a patented additive manufacturing process for aerospace-grade composite parts. The company's core innovation is Microwave Assisted Deposition (MAD) 3D Printing, a direct ink write method that hardens thermoset and ceramic composite materials immediately after deposition using microwave energy, which the company describes as unlocking scalable production of composites that direct ink write could not previously produce at full scale. Materials span commercial-off-the-shelf resins and fillers formulated into proprietary blends, including epoxy, phenolic, silicone, alumina, silicon carbide, and carbon-carbon systems. Applications explicitly targeted include thermal protection systems, reentry vehicles, hypersonic flight hardware, propulsion components, satellites, aircraft, and missiles. Manufacturing is being consolidated at a new Broomfield, Colorado headquarters with Industry 4.0 monitoring and data-driven learning integrated into what the company calls its Smart Factory.
The business model is anchored on enterprise and government sales rather than consumer or SMB channels. Revenue is generated primarily through U.S. Department of Defense contracting, including STTR awards via AFWERX (the Air Force Research Laboratory's innovation arm) and a cumulative $4.5 million of non-dilutive DoD contracts, supplemented by $2 million of equity pre-seed capital from a syndicate including 46 Venture Capital, Backswing Ventures, Cape Fear Ventures, Mana Ventures, and What If Ventures. Customer and partner mix is concentrated on defense and aerospace buyers: SpaceWorks and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are named collaborators on the AFWERX Phase II hypersonic aeroshell program, with NASA, NSF, Activate, and LAUNCH KC identified as supporting institutions. The company holds a granted patent on the MAD innovation and markets itself as an early-stage equity opportunity to recruits.
Go-to-market is sales-led, running direct enterprise and government field sales into aerospace primes and defense agencies. No public product pricing exists; revenue is contract-based and project-based, with manufacturing capacity expansion scheduled to reach customer-component output by mid-2024 at a larger aerospace-certified facility. Headcount is currently in the 1-10 range, while a 2025 relocation announcement contemplates adding 350+ jobs at an average wage of approximately $130,867 in Broomfield, signaling a sharp planned scale-up from a still early operational base.
Raven Space Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Raven Space Systems
- Legal name
- Raven Space Systems, Inc.
- Website
- https://www.ravenspacesystems.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Raven Space Systems is a privately held U.S. startup that has patented a Microwave Assisted Deposition 3D printing process to manufacture aerospace-grade thermoset and ceramic composites. The company primarily serves the U.S. Department of Defense and aerospace prime contractors with thermal protection, hypersonic, and structural composite components.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Raven Space Systems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aerospace Composite Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Space Structures, Mechanisms & Thermal Control (IMABACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Reentry, Descent & Landing Systems (Capsules, Heat Shields, Parachutes) (IMABACAL), Guided Missile & Rocket Manufacturing (IMABAHAA), Spacecraft Propulsion (In-Space) & Thrusters (IMABACAE)
Keywords
Where Raven Space Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kansas City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Raven Space Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Government R&D Contracts: STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) contracts with Department of Defense agencies including AFWERX for development of 3D-printed thermal protection systems and reentry aeroshells for hypersonic flight testing.
- Aerospace Component Manufacturing: Production and sale of aerospace-grade composite components for hypersonics, reentry vehicles, aircraft, missiles, rockets, satellites, and propulsion systems to defense contractors and government agencies.
- Non-Dilutive Contracts: Company secured $4.5 million in non-dilutive contracts supporting technology development and manufacturing scale-up.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Engineering Internship - Part-time hourly position |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Manufacturing Technician - Full-time hourly position |
| Other | Annual | Materials Scientist - Senior full-time salaried position |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Raven Space Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Raven Space Systems manufactures aerospace-grade thermoset and ceramic composite components using its patented Microwave Assisted Deposition (MAD) 3D printing technology. The company operates a Smart Factory with Industry 4.0 integration to produce thermal protection systems, reentry aeroshells, propulsion components, satellite structures, and lightweight parts for hypersonic, missile, aircraft, and spacecraft applications. Customers include the U.S. Department of Defense and aerospace prime contractors purchasing custom-manufactured composite parts and structures.
Product overview
Raven Space Systems is a space tech startup that has developed breakthrough composite 3D printing technology. The core offering is the patented Microwave Assisted Deposition (MAD) 3D Printing system, which enables scalable manufacturing of aerospace-grade thermoset and ceramic composites for the first time. Their Smart Factory implements Industry 4.0 solutions to produce thermal protection systems and lightweight structures for hypersonics, reentry vehicles, propulsion systems, satellites, aircraft, and missiles. The company manufactures components using various aerospace-grade composite materials including epoxy, phenolic, silicone, alumina, silicon carbide, and carbon-carbon.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Microwave Assisted Deposition (MAD) 3D Printing Raven's patented Microwave Assisted Deposition (MAD) is a scalable direct ink write 3D printing technology that hardens aerospace-grade thermoset and ceramic composite materials immediately after deposition using microwave assistance, enabling industrial-scale production of composite parts for the first time. It is offered to aerospace and defense customers requiring advanced thermal protection and structural components.
- Smart Factory Composite Manufacturing Service Raven's Smart Factory is an advanced composite manufacturing facility implementing Industry 4.0 solutions that integrate and optimize production processes with real-time monitoring, controls, and data-driven learning. It provides contract manufacturing of aerospace-grade composite parts for hypersonic, reentry, propulsion, satellite, aircraft, and missile applications.
- Thermal Protection Systems 3D-printed thermal protection systems manufactured using MAD technology for hypersonic flight, reentry vehicles, and aerospace applications. These are produced for the U.S. Department of Defense, aerospace prime contractors, and commercial aerospace customers requiring scalable thermal protection solutions.
- Aerospace-grade Composite Materials Proprietary composite material blends made from commercial-off-the-shelf aerospace-grade resins and fillers, including epoxy, phenolic, silicone, alumina, silicon carbide, and carbon-carbon composites. These tailorable blends are used as inputs to Raven's MAD 3D printing process for producing aerospace and defense components.
Quantifiable outcome
- Significant production efficiency improvements and affordable hypersonic testing capabilities for Department of Defense
Companies that use Raven Space Systems
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Raven Space Systems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Raven Space Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- SpaceWorkscoreCollaboration on 3D-printed reentry aeroshells for hypersonic flight testing. SpaceWorks and Raven are working together on thermal protection systems development under the AFWERX STTR Phase II contract.
- University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaigncoreUniversity partner collaborating on 3D-printed reentry aeroshells for hypersonic flight testing under the AFWERX STTR Phase II contract. Brings academic research expertise to the development program.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Raven Space Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Impossible Objects: Direct peer commercializing composite-based additive manufacturing for industrial and aerospace parts. Both companies target lightweight, high-strength composite components via proprietary 3D printing processes.
- Arris Composites: Direct peer that uses additive manufacturing to produce aligned-fiber composite parts for aerospace and defense. Competes with Raven in scalable, high-performance composite part production for structural applications.
- Markforged: Direct peer selling industrial 3D printers (metal and composite) widely used in aerospace and defense for tooling, brackets, and end-use parts. Comparable in targeting aerospace/defense customers with proprietary additive manufacturing platforms.
- Orbital Composites: Direct peer focused on robotic, multi-material 3D printing of large composite structures for aerospace and space. Operates in the same overlap of automation, composites, and space/defense end markets as Raven.
- Continuous Composites: Direct peer developing continuous fiber 3D printing for aerospace-grade composite structures. Both companies are commercializing novel additive manufacturing methods to replace traditional composite layup for aerospace and defense customers.
Emerging players
- 9T Labs: Emerging player in automated continuous fiber composite manufacturing for aerospace and medical. Comparable in targeting serial production of high-performance composite parts through additive + compression molding processes.
- Velo3D: Adjacent peer in metal additive manufacturing for aerospace and rocket propulsion components. Competes for similar customer wallet share at aerospace primes, though in metal rather than composites.
Broad incumbents
- Relativity Space: Large aerospace player built around 3D-printed rockets and structures. Comparable in using additive manufacturing as a core differentiator for aerospace hardware, though focused on full launch vehicles rather than discrete components.
- Stratasys: Broad incumbent in industrial polymer 3D printing with aerospace exposure. Serves as a baseline incumbent competitor for additive manufacturing platforms targeting aerospace and defense customers.
- EOS GmbH: Industrial 3D printing incumbent with broad polymer and metal AM systems used across aerospace and defense. A potential competitor or platform partner for Raven as customers evaluate composite AM solutions.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Raven Space Systems social profiles
Digital presenceRaven Space Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Raven Space Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Raven Space Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Raven Space Systems M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Raven Space Systems
What does Raven Space Systems do?
Raven Space Systems manufactures aerospace-grade thermoset and ceramic composite components using its patented Microwave Assisted Deposition (MAD) 3D printing technology. The company operates a Smart Factory with Industry 4.0 integration to produce thermal protection systems, reentry aeroshells, propulsion components, satellite structures, and lightweight parts for hypersonic, missile, aircraft, and spacecraft applications. Customers include the U.S. Department of Defense and aerospace prime contractors purchasing custom-manufactured composite parts and structures.
Is Raven Space Systems a public or private company?
Raven Space Systems is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Raven Space Systems founded?
Raven Space Systems was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Raven Space Systems based?
Raven Space Systems is headquartered in Kansas City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Raven Space Systems make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government R&D Contracts are the primary driver. The others are aerospace Component Manufacturing and non-Dilutive Contracts.
Who are Raven Space Systems's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Impossible Objects, Arris Composites, Markforged, Orbital Composites and Continuous Composites. Emerging players are 9T Labs and Velo3D. Broad incumbents are Relativity Space, Stratasys and EOS GmbH.
Does Raven Space Systems have an API?
No public API is recorded for Raven Space Systems.
What industry is Raven Space Systems in?
Raven Space Systems's product category is Aerospace Composite Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABACAF, Space Structures, Mechanisms & Thermal Control, with a secondary code of IMABACAL, Reentry, Descent & Landing Systems (Capsules, Heat Shields, Parachutes). Its NAICS code is 336419 and its SIC code is 3760.