SpaceFund
SpaceFund is a Houston-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2018 that invests exclusively in space industry startups, backing 21+ companies with $20M+ deployed across transportation, manufacturing, stations, and space AI, complemented by proprietary market intelligence research.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SpaceFund does
SpaceFund is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2018 and headquartered in Houston, Texas. The firm invests exclusively in space industry startups — spanning space transportation, in-space manufacturing, commercial space stations, spacecraft AI, and space media — and explicitly avoids traditional aerospace. SpaceFund backs visionary, practical companies from inception through scale and exit, with a portfolio of 21+ companies and over $20M deployed, including high-profile positions in SpaceX (IPO), Voyager (exited), Made In Space/Redwire (exited), Axiom Space, Cognitive Space, and Sen.
The firm's core offering combines capital deployment with a proprietary Space Market Intelligence platform, which conducts ongoing research on the space startup ecosystem covering market size, new market creation, financing trends, and exits. This intelligence capability supports deal sourcing, portfolio company diligence, and broader market positioning, and is distributed through the firm's "Frontier Updates" blog, public research, and newsletter. The team is led by Founder & CEO Rick Tumlinson (a co-founder of the XPRIZE), Founding GP John Bohlmann (also CEO of HawkenAI), CFO Jaime Velasco (former divisional CFO at Bank Santander), and operator/advisor Luke Moloney.
SpaceFund generates revenue through standard venture capital mechanics: management fees on committed capital and carried interest on profitable exits. Fund size, LP composition, and fee structures are not publicly disclosed. The firm's strategic positioning rests on dedicated sector focus, founder credibility in the commercial space movement, and a research-led approach to identifying startups most likely to succeed in the new space economy.
SpaceFund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SpaceFund
- Legal name
- SpaceFund
- Website
- https://spacefund.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SpaceFund is a Houston-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2018 that invests exclusively in space industry startups, backing 21+ companies with $20M+ deployed across transportation, manufacturing, stations, and space AI, complemented by proprietary market intelligence research.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SpaceFund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital / Private Equity
- NAICS
- Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
Keywords
Where SpaceFund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
SpaceFund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Returns: SpaceFund generates returns through successful exits of portfolio companies via IPO or acquisition. The fund invests in early-stage startups in the space industry with the goal of achieving durable scale and profitable exits. Revenue comes from carried interest (share of investment profits) and management fees typical of VC funds.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
SpaceFund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SpaceFund is an early-stage venture capital investment fund dedicated to supporting startups in the space industry. The firm provides capital deployment, operational support, strategic guidance, and network access to visionary space startups building infrastructure, intelligence, and commercial capability for the space economy, while also producing ongoing proprietary market intelligence research on the space startup ecosystem covering market size, financing, and exits.
Product overview
SpaceFund operates as a venture capital platform offering a unified investment service to space entrepreneurs and investors. The core offering combines early-stage venture capital funding with proprietary space market intelligence research. The firm deploys capital into portfolio companies while simultaneously producing market intelligence on the broader space ecosystem, creating a platform that serves both sides of the investment equation—providing startups with capital and strategic insight while offering investors research-backed deal flow and market analysis.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Venture Capital Investment Fund
- Space Market Intelligence Research
Companies that use SpaceFund
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
SpaceFund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
SpaceFund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SpaceFund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Space Capital: Space Capital is a venture firm investing in space technology across three layers: infrastructure, distribution, and applications. Like SpaceFund, it is space-only, publishes proprietary market research (the Space Capital Quarterly), and targets early-stage founders across the space economy.
- Seraphim Space: Seraphim Space is the largest dedicated space-focused venture capital fund globally, running multiple vehicles focused exclusively on space startups. It is the most direct competitor to SpaceFund in the space-only VC niche, with similar early-stage investment focus and dedicated portfolio construction.
- Starbridge Venture Capital: Starbridge Venture Capital is an early-stage venture fund investing in space startups with a focus on government and commercial space economy. Its space-only thesis and early-stage focus mirror SpaceFund's investment strategy.
- Type One Ventures: Type One Ventures is a multi-stage fund backing transformative technologies including space, energy, and frontier tech. It overlaps with SpaceFund in early-stage space investing and shares a thematic frontier-technology orientation.
- Promus Ventures: Promus Ventures is an early-stage deep-tech and space-focused venture firm investing in AI, computing, and space startups. Its space thesis and early-stage stage focus make it directly comparable to SpaceFund's investment approach.
- E2MC Ventures: E2MC (Earth-to-Moon-and-Cyber) Ventures is a space-focused early-stage venture firm and financial advisory. It directly competes for space startup deal flow with SpaceFund and similarly publishes space market analysis.
Broad incumbents
- Lux Capital: Lux Capital invests in frontier science and technology including space, AI, and advanced manufacturing. While a generalist deep-tech fund, its space portfolio (Planet, Astra) and research-driven approach overlap with SpaceFund's space-focused investment thesis.
- Founders Fund: Founders Fund, led by Peter Thiel, was an early investor in SpaceX and has deep exposure to commercial space. While a generalist deep-tech fund, its space thesis and ability to write large checks into space startups make it a broader incumbent competing for the same founders.
- Andreessen Horowitz (a16z): a16z is a large generalist venture firm with active space and frontier-tech investments through its broader tech and bio funds. Its scale and brand increasingly compete with dedicated space VCs like SpaceFund for premium space startup deals.
- Khosla Ventures: Khosla Ventures is a large venture firm with significant space and frontier-technology investments. Its space portfolio and willingness to write large early-stage checks make it a broad incumbent that competes with SpaceFund for top space deals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SpaceFund social profiles
Digital presenceSpaceFund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SpaceFund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
SpaceFund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SpaceFund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments14 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SpaceFund
What does SpaceFund do?
SpaceFund is an early-stage venture capital investment fund dedicated to supporting startups in the space industry. The firm provides capital deployment, operational support, strategic guidance, and network access to visionary space startups building infrastructure, intelligence, and commercial capability for the space economy, while also producing ongoing proprietary market intelligence research on the space startup ecosystem covering market size, financing, and exits.
Is SpaceFund a public or private company?
SpaceFund is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SpaceFund founded?
SpaceFund was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SpaceFund based?
SpaceFund is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does SpaceFund make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Returns.
Who are SpaceFund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Space Capital, Seraphim Space, Starbridge Venture Capital, Type One Ventures, Promus Ventures and E2MC Ventures. Broad incumbents are Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Khosla Ventures.
Does SpaceFund have an API?
No public API is recorded for SpaceFund.
What industry is SpaceFund in?
SpaceFund's product category is Venture Capital / Private Equity. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists), with a secondary code of FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 525 and its SIC code is 6282.