Space Capital
Space Capital is a New York–based, seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2012 that invests in space-economy startups (satellites, GPS, GEOINT, SatCom) from a $1B+ AUM base, serving institutional LPs and a portfolio of 70+ companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Space Capital does
Space Capital is a New York–based, seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2012 by Chad Anderson that invests in the space economy — specifically in companies building space-based technologies including satellites, GPS, geospatial intelligence (GEOINT), and satellite communications (SatCom). The firm manages over $1 billion in assets under management across multiple funds and is actively deploying capital from its third fund of approximately $100 million. Its portfolio of 70+ companies includes category-defining names such as SpaceX (held for over a decade), Planet, Impulse Space, and Muon Space, alongside more recent positions in commercial space stations (Vast), photonic AI chips (Neurophos), and reusable satellite platforms (Lux Aeterna).
The firm's revenue model follows standard VC economics: recurring management fees (typically ~2% of AUM) on its fund vehicles plus performance-based carried interest (~20%) on investment returns, sourced from a broad institutional LP base including family offices, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, pension funds, and corporations. The firm also offers co-investment opportunities to eligible accredited and qualified purchaser investors alongside its direct portfolio investments.
Beyond capital deployment, Space Capital operates an ecosystem platform that includes the Space Talent Platform (a 50,000+-member community with a job board, salary database, mentorship, and the Gravitate networking feature), the Space Capital Podcast (hosted by Chad Anderson with quarterly Space IQ market analysis), the annual invitation-only Space Capital Summit in New York, and proprietary research including the Space IQ reports and the GPS/GEOINT/SatCom playbooks. The firm also authored "The Space Economy," published by Wiley, which along with the playbooks has been adopted by leading financial firms and governments as a reference framework for the category. Headcount is intentionally lean (1–10 employees), with leadership comprising founder/Managing Partner Chad Anderson, Partner Justus Kilian, and Operating Partner Thomas Whayne.
Space Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Space Capital
- Legal name
- Space Capital
- Website
- https://spacecapital.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Space Capital is a New York–based, seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2012 that invests in space-economy startups (satellites, GPS, GEOINT, SatCom) from a $1B+ AUM base, serving institutional LPs and a portfolio of 70+ companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Space Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital / Space Technology Investment
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
Keywords
Where Space Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Space Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Management Fees: VC firms typically charge annual management fees (2% of AUM) as their primary operational revenue stream.
- Carried Interest: Performance-based carried interest (typically 20%) on investment returns, representing the primary value creation for VC fund managers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Space Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Space Capital is a seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2012 that invests in early-stage companies building space-based technologies including GPS, geospatial intelligence (GEOINT), and satellite communications (SatCom). The firm manages over $1 billion in assets under management across multiple funds and complements its investment activity with proprietary research (Space IQ reports), a talent platform, an annual summit, and a podcast serving the space economy ecosystem.
Product overview
Space Capital operates as a unified venture capital platform offering investment management alongside complementary ecosystem services. The core investment vehicle is supplemented by the Space Talent Platform (job board and salary database), the Space Capital Podcast (quarterly market intelligence and industry interviews), the annual Space Capital Summit, and Space IQ research reports. The firm has also authored 'The Space Economy' book and associated playbooks as educational frameworks for the space economy investment category.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Space Talent: A talent platform for the space economy featuring a job board with 10,000+ roles, salary database, mentorship, and community networking with over 50,000 space professionals.
- Space Capital Summit
- Space Capital Podcast
Products and services
- Space Capital Venture Funds
Quantifiable outcome
- Top decile returns across multiple market cycles versus Carta benchmarks
Companies that use Space Capital
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Space Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Space Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Space Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Founders Fund: Peter Thiel-led venture capital firm with early and notable space investments. Comparable as a high-conviction frontier-tech investor with space exposure, though with a substantially larger generalist mandate and fund size.
- In-Q-Tel (IQT): Strategic venture arm of the U.S. intelligence community investing in space and dual-use technology. Co-investor with Space Capital in Zephr, comparable as a space-focused institutional investor with deeper government ties.
- Lux Capital: Technology-focused venture capital firm with significant space economy exposure. Comparable as a high-conviction frontier-tech investor, though broader in mandate than Space Capital's space-only focus.
Direct peers
- Type One Ventures: Early-stage venture capital firm focused on frontier technology including space. Comparable in stage focus, fund size, and ambition to back transformative space economy companies.
- Konvoy Ventures: Venture capital firm focused on gaming and frontier technology including infrastructure for virtual worlds. Led Lux Aeterna's seed round with Space Capital participation—comparable early-stage thesis around emerging technology platforms.
- Stellar Ventures: Space-focused venture capital firm that co-invested with Space Capital in Vast. Closely comparable as a specialist space-tech seed/early-stage investor targeting similar founders.
- Decisive Point: Dual-use tech and space venture capital firm that co-invested with Space Capital in Lux Aeterna. Comparable as an early-stage space/defense investor with similar thesis around frontier technology.
- Balerion Space Ventures: Space-focused venture capital firm that co-invested with Space Capital in Vast's $500M round. Direct competitor for space tech seed and early-stage deals with similar LP base.
- Earthrise Ventures: Space-focused early-stage investor that co-invested with Space Capital in Vast. Highly comparable in fund size, stage focus, and thematic concentration on space technology.
Others
- Gates Frontier: Strategic investment platform with focus on frontier technology. Led Neurophos's Series A alongside Space Capital, providing a relevant benchmark for how strategic capital partners with specialist space VCs.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Space Capital social profiles
Digital presenceSpace Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Space Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Space Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Space Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments107 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Space Capital
What does Space Capital do?
Space Capital is a seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2012 that invests in early-stage companies building space-based technologies including GPS, geospatial intelligence (GEOINT), and satellite communications (SatCom). The firm manages over $1 billion in assets under management across multiple funds and complements its investment activity with proprietary research (Space IQ reports), a talent platform, an annual summit, and a podcast serving the space economy ecosystem.
Is Space Capital a public or private company?
Space Capital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Space Capital founded?
Space Capital was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Space Capital based?
Space Capital is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Space Capital make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest.
Who are Space Capital's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Founders Fund, In-Q-Tel (IQT) and Lux Capital. Direct peers are Type One Ventures, Konvoy Ventures, Stellar Ventures, Decisive Point, Balerion Space Ventures and Earthrise Ventures. Gates Frontier is listed as an others.
Does Space Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Space Capital.
What industry is Space Capital in?
Space Capital's product category is Venture Capital / Space Technology Investment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.