What Aerospace Angels does

Aerospace Angels is a French nonprofit business angel network (association déclarée, SIRET 92446564400012) dedicated exclusively to the aeronautical and space sectors. Founded in September 2022 as an antenna of Capitole Angels with the support of Aerospace Valley and granted full autonomy in December 2023, the network operates from the B612 innovation center in Toulouse — the European hub of the aerospace industry — and is led by President Jean-Michel Darroy. It curates a vetted community of around 35 individual business angels, each with 20+ years of aerospace sector experience, and serves early-stage aerospace startups with pre-seed and seed capital ranging from €5,000 to €100,000 per round.

The network runs a structured five-stage deal-flow process — pre-selection of pitch decks, monthly pitch sessions open to all members, an instruction phase led by two domain experts over one to four months, an investment committee close, and post-investment follow-up via Strategic Orientation Committees. Beyond capital deployment, the organization manufactures brand-level interactions for the French aerospace ecosystem: it co-organizes "The After" investor event with CNES Spacely and Aerospace Valley (first held in June 2024 at B612) and runs the annual Aerospace Awards (inaugurated December 2024 at B612; second edition November 2025 at ENAC Toulouse).

Aerospace Angels earns operating revenue principally through €400 annual membership dues from its 35 active members; investment returns generated via equity stakes in portfolio startups are the secondary economic dimension but are not centrally pooled. The customer base is bipartite: pre-seed and seed-stage aerospace startups across sub-sectors such as electric aviation, drones, satellite communications, and space launch (e.g., Aura Aero, Skyted, Hoverseen, Windlair, Spaceflight Institute, Skydrone Robotics) constitute the "invested-in" clients, while the angels themselves are the dues-paying clients. Strategic backers include Aerospace Valley, France Angels, CNES, Bpifrance, Toulouse Métropole and EBAN, and corporate sponsors AXA, Mazars and Exco, underwriting the network's events and credibility within the European aerospace capital stack.

Name

Aerospace Angels

Legal name

AEROSPACE ANGELS

Website

https://aerospaceangels.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aerospace Angels is a French nonprofit business angel network based at B612 Toulouse, providing pre-seed and seed investment, mentorship, and deal-flow management to early-stage aerospace startups through a community of 35 experienced industry angels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Angel Investing

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

Keywords

• Business angel network
• Aerospace venture capital
• Early-stage investment
• Seed stage funding
• Aerospace startup investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership dues from business angels provide recurring revenue. Membership fee is 400€ per year for active members.
2. Investment Returns: Returns generated through equity investments in portfolio startups. Business angels invest amounts ranging from 5,000€ to 100,000k€ per startup, with investments in pre-seed and seed stages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aerospace Angels is a French business angel network that invests in pre-seed and seed stage aerospace startups, providing equity capital (typically €5,000 to €100,000 per startup) alongside structured mentorship, strategic advisory, and access to a senior aerospace professional network. The organization runs a deal flow process including pitch sessions, instruction phases with domain experts, and ongoing portfolio monitoring, and hosts the annual Aerospace Awards event recognizing innovation in the sector.

Product overview

Aerospace Angels is a national business angel network dedicated to the aeronautical and space sectors, based at B612 in Toulouse, France. The organization does not offer a traditional software product but provides a suite of investment and support services including pre-seed and seed investment, strategic mentorship, deal flow management, and networking facilitation. Key services include the startup investment and funding process, mentorship and strategic advisory from aerospace experts, structured deal flow management with monthly pitch sessions, the annual Aerospace Awards event recognizing innovation, post-investment follow-up support, and access to an industry network of strategic partners and institutional contacts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Startup Investment Services Equity investment in pre-seed and seed stage aerospace startups, providing capital of 5,000 to 100,000 EUR per startup. Targeted at innovative aerospace and space startups seeking early-stage funding.
• Mentorship and Strategic Advisory Expert guidance from 35 aerospace professionals with 20+ years of experience, helping startups refine business plans, valuation, strategic direction, certification, and industrial scaling over a 1-4 month instruction phase.
• Deal Flow Management Structured screening, pitching, and selection of investment opportunities, including monthly pitch sessions where 3-4 startups present to all business angels with live Q&A, followed by expert instruction phase and investment committee decision.
• Aerospace Awards Annual awards ceremony recognizing innovative aerospace startups across categories including New Aeronautical Services, Communication Innovation, Surveillance Services, Drone of the Year, New Air Mobility, and Civil Security.
• Startup Follow-up and Support Ongoing post-investment support including representation on Strategic Orientation Committees and regular monthly or bi-annual check-ups to track startup progress and provide continued strategic guidance.
• Network Access Facilitates connections between startups and strategic partners in the aerospace industry, including incubators, accelerators, research centers, CNES, Aerospace Valley, and key industry players.
• Business Angel Membership Annual membership subscription granting business angels access to deal flow, pitch sessions, due diligence participation, startup accompaniment, and the Aerospace Angels professional community. Membership fee is 400 EUR per year.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members invested over 395,000€ in 10 projects in 2024

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aerospace ValleycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022Key founding partner and ongoing strategic collaborator. Aerospace Valley is Europe's leading aerospace competitiveness cluster with over 800 members across Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée regions. Provides collaborative project support, innovation funding assistance, and network facilitation. Jointly organizes The After investor events and supports Aerospace Angels deal flow.
• France AngelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational federation of business angel networks in France. Aerospace Angels became a full member in December 2023 following autonomy from Capitole Angels. Provides national network access and credibility within French business angel community.
• Capitole AngelsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal parent organization. Aerospace Angels was created in September 2022 as an antenna of Capitole Angels with Aerospace Valley support. Became fully autonomous in December 2023.
• EBANminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Business Angels Network. Aerospace Angels logo appears alongside EBAN branding indicating membership/partnership in European business angel community.
• CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Space Agency. Collaborates through SPACELY program - a national and European scale initiative launched September 2022 by CNES. SPACELY provides private investors direct access to high-potential space companies. Jointly organized The After investor event in June 2024 at B612 Toulouse with CNES Spacely Director Jean-Marc Astorg participating.
• CNES SpacelycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestment club under CNES backed by European Investment Fund, European Innovation Council, Bpifrance, and competitiveness clusters. Gives privileged access to space sector companies with high potential. Nicolas Dufourcq, Director General of Bpifrance, supported The After event and emphasized Bpifrance's national funding programs for French space sector development.
• Toulouse MétropolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan government of Toulouse. Agnès Plagneux-Bertrand, Vice-President for Industry and Productive Economy, has testified to metropolitan support for aerospace industry development. Participated in The After event and Aerospace Awards 2024 presenting awards.
• AXAminorOthersMajor insurance company shown as sponsor/logo partner on Aerospace Angels website.
• MazarsminorOthersProfessional services firm (audit and advisory). Represented at Aerospace Awards 2024 by Benoit Fontan and Quentin Vielcastel presenting Nouveaux Services Aéronautiques award.
• ExcominorOthersFrench accounting and consulting firm. Pierre d'Agrain represented at Aerospace Awards 2024 presenting Innovation dans les Communications award to Skyted.
• Defense AngelsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDefense sector business angel network shown as sponsor/logo partner. Suggests specialized defense industry connections within the network.
• ENAC (École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Civil Aviation School in Toulouse. Hosted Aerospace Awards 2025 event. Marc Fontaine, President of Helsing France, delivered keynote on AI in aeronautics and defense space.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bpifrance: French public investment bank providing deep tech and aerospace funding programs. Nicolas Dufourcq (DG) has publicly supported Aerospace Angels' initiatives. Bpifrance is a much larger incumbent capital provider that ultimately funds the same aerospace startup pipeline.
• Airbus Ventures: Corporate venture arm of Airbus investing globally in aerospace, mobility and dual-use technologies. Established incumbent with much larger ticket sizes, technical resources and follow-on capacity targeting the same founders.
• France Angels: National federation of French business angel networks of which Aerospace Angels became a full member in Dec 2023. Broader incumbent organization providing national network access, deal syndication and credibility across all sectors, not just aerospace.
• EBAN (European Business Angels Network): Pan-European business angel federation. Aerospace Angels displays EBAN branding, indicating membership. Comparable model of aggregated angel networks, but at much larger European scale and across all sectors.

Emerging players

• Vsquared Ventures: European deep-tech venture firm with a portfolio that includes aerospace, mobility and frontier-tech startups. Competes for the same French/European aerospace deep-tech founders at the seed-to-Series A stage.

Direct peers

• Capitole Angels: Toulouse-based business angel network from which Aerospace Angels was spun out in 2022. Comparably structured angel network in the same city and ecosystem, sharing overlapping aerospace/Toulouse member profiles.
• Starburst Aerospace: Global aerospace accelerator and venture fund with strong European presence. Competes for the same early-stage aerospace startup pipeline and provides accelerator services that Aerospace Angels lacks.
• Seraphim Space: Specialized global venture fund focused on space tech, with accelerator and investment fund. Direct competitor for space-startup seed capital, offering larger tickets and dedicated technical diligence versus Aerospace Angels' angel model.
• Defense Angels: French business angel network specialized in the defense sector, shown as a logo partner on Aerospace Angels' site. Comparable model (vertical-specialized angel network) with overlapping investor base and defense-adjacent deal flow.
• CNES SPACELY: CNES-backed investment club (with EIF, EIC, Bpifrance support) offering private investors access to high-potential French space companies. Co-organizes 'The After' events with Aerospace Angels and directly competes for space-startup deal flow.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments5 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aerospace Angels