SpacePharma
SpacePharma is a Palo Alto-based space biotechnology company founded in 2012 that provides microgravity research services and biomanufacturing platforms, primarily serving cosmetics and personal care clients developing advanced skin care formulations tested in orbital environments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SpacePharma does
SpacePharma is a Palo Alto-based, privately held space biotechnology company founded in 2012 that provides end-to-end microgravity research services and biomanufacturing solutions. The company develops and operates miniature laboratory platforms capable of conducting experiments in orbital microgravity conditions, enabling clients to test formulations, synthesize bioactive compounds, and develop ingredients that are difficult or impossible to produce under Earth gravity. Its core technology spans microgravity-based biomanufacturing, formulation testing, and the production of space-grown bioactive compounds with applications in radiation shielding and antioxidant formulations.
The company's commercial focus has recently pivoted toward the cosmetics and personal care industry, where it offers co-innovation and product testing services to skin care brands developing advanced formulations addressing environmental stressors such as radiation, pollution, and oxidative stress. SpacePharma serves this primary segment via a professional services / project-based revenue model, engaging clients through industry conferences (notably the IFSCC 2025 Congress) and strategic partnerships such as the September 2025 alliance with MEDES (Institute for Space Medicine) under the SpacePharma EU brand. The company is co-founded by Martin Aebi and Yossi Yamin (CEO), employs 51–100 people, has received funding from State of Mind Ventures (2015) and the EIC Accelerator (2024), and operates against a space biomanufacturing TAM projected by third-party research to grow from $1.8B in 2025 to $7.4B by 2034.
Revenue, pricing, named customers, and detailed financial metrics are not publicly disclosed, and the company's AI/ML capabilities are not evidenced in available source material.
SpacePharma firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SpacePharma
- Legal name
- SpacePharma
- Website
- https://space4p.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- SpacePharma is a Palo Alto-based space biotechnology company founded in 2012 that provides microgravity research services and biomanufacturing platforms, primarily serving cosmetics and personal care clients developing advanced skin care formulations tested in orbital environments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SpacePharma industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Space Biotechnology Research Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in Nanotechnology (541713)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Analytical Development & QC Testing (Release/Stability/Potency) (HLAGAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD)
Keywords
Where SpacePharma is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
SpacePharma business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Co-innovation and Product Testing Services: SpacePharma provides microgravity testing and co-innovation services to cosmetic and personal care companies, enabling product development partnerships
Go-to-market motion1 record
Marketing channels1 record
SpacePharma product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SpacePharma provides end-to-end microgravity services and solutions for research, enabling cosmetic, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical companies to test products and develop novel formulations in orbital microgravity environments. The company conducts space-based experiments yielding bioactive compounds, radiation-protective ingredients, and antioxidant formulations for skin care applications, and operates an orbital laboratory platform that supports co-innovation and product testing partnerships.
Product overview
SpacePharma is a space biotechnology company offering microgravity-based research and product testing services. Their core offering revolves around providing access to orbital environments where cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and biotech products can be tested and developed under microgravity conditions. The company participates in industry conferences (such as IFSCC 2025 Congress) to discuss co-innovation opportunities with partners in the cosmetics and personal care industries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Microgravity Research Services Laboratory services leveraging microgravity environments for product testing and co-innovation, particularly in the cosmetics and biotechnology sectors. Enables researchers to conduct experiments in orbital conditions that yield insights for skin care formulations and bioactive compound development, targeting cosmetics and personal care companies as well as biotech and pharma research organizations.
Companies that use SpacePharma
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SpacePharma technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
SpacePharma partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- MEDEScoreMEDES (Institute for Space Medicine) and SpacePharma EU participated jointly in a round table discussion at IFSCC 2025 Congress exploring space research as a catalyst for cosmetic innovation. The partnership focuses on opportunities for co-innovation and product testing in microgravity environments, combining SpacePharma's microgravity expertise with MEDES' space medicine capabilities.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
SpacePharma competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rhodium Scientific: Operates a microgravity research services platform focused on biotech and life science experiments in low-Earth orbit, mirroring SpacePharma's end-to-end service model for biological and formulation research.
- Yuri: Germany-based microgravity research services company providing access to ISS and suborbital platforms for life sciences and biotech R&D — a comparable European-headquartered peer serving similar customer profiles.
- Space Tango: Provides microgravity research and manufacturing services aboard the ISS for biotech and consumer applications, with overlapping capabilities in formulation testing and space-grown bioactives — a direct head-to-head competitor.
- Kayser Space: UK-based microgravity research services company providing payload development and experiment services to biotech and pharma clients, comparable in size and European market positioning.
- Space Applications Services (ICE-Cubes): Operates the ICE-Cubes commercial service offering end-to-end access to the ISS for research payloads, with deep experience in biotech and pharma experiments analogous to SpacePharma's service scope.
Broad incumbents
- Redwire Space: Established space infrastructure provider offering ISS payloads, biotech manufacturing facilities (e.g., BioFabrication Facility), and broader space services — competing in adjacent capabilities with significantly greater scale.
- Voyager Space (formerly NanoRacks): Operates commercial ISS facilities and microgravity research services through the NanoRacks and Bishop Airlock franchises, serving as a larger-scale incumbent in commercial low-Earth-orbit R&D services.
- Beyond Gravity (formerly RUAG Space): Major European space hardware and services supplier offering payload structures, mechanisms, and experiment support — adjacent competitor with broader scope and substantial industrial scale.
- BioServe Space Technologies: University of Colorado-affiliated research center operating microgravity life-science experiments and payloads on ISS for academic and commercial clients — overlapping capability base with deeper scientific pedigree but academic rather than commercial-first orientation.
Emerging players
- Angiex: Biotech company leveraging microgravity-based research for therapeutic antibody development; partial overlap with SpacePharma's space biotech platform but focused on oncology drug discovery rather than cosmetics.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SpacePharma social profiles
Digital presenceSpacePharma financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SpacePharma leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
SpacePharma funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SpacePharma 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 SpacePharma
What does SpacePharma do?
SpacePharma provides end-to-end microgravity services and solutions for research, enabling cosmetic, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical companies to test products and develop novel formulations in orbital microgravity environments. The company conducts space-based experiments yielding bioactive compounds, radiation-protective ingredients, and antioxidant formulations for skin care applications, and operates an orbital laboratory platform that supports co-innovation and product testing partnerships.
Is SpacePharma a public or private company?
SpacePharma is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was SpacePharma founded?
SpacePharma was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is SpacePharma based?
SpacePharma is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does SpacePharma make money?
One revenue line is on record: co-innovation and Product Testing Services.
Who are SpacePharma's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rhodium Scientific, Yuri, Space Tango, Kayser Space and Space Applications Services (ICE-Cubes). Broad incumbents are Redwire Space, Voyager Space (formerly NanoRacks), Beyond Gravity (formerly RUAG Space) and BioServe Space Technologies. Angiex is listed as an emerging player.
Does SpacePharma have an API?
No public API is recorded for SpacePharma.
What industry is SpacePharma in?
SpacePharma's product category is Space Biotechnology Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAGAF, Analytical Development & QC Testing (Release/Stability/Potency), with a secondary code of IMABACAD, Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 8731.