Monava - an ESA BIC Sweden Alumni company

Avalanches, rock falls and landslides claim the life of more than 100 people in the European Alps yearly as well as causing multiple millions of EUR in cost on infrastructure damage and delays. Monava offers a solution that with a seismic sensor system will detect these types of disasters in real time so that rescue teams and local authorities will be notified immediately to avoid accidents.Meet Alexander Hebbe, co-founder of Monava, in a Q & A!

What does your company do and what’s the space connection?

We develop smart monitoring solutions from ground based acoustic sensors. In the training stage we validate our detections through satellite observations.

How and when did your startup journey begin?

It came out of a research project for detecting avalanches in late 2020.

Wich obstacles have you met and how have you handled them?

Financials, product-market fit, customers, team etc.

What have you gained by being an incubatee at ESA BIC Sweden?

Plenty of insights in space technology and its community.

Why do you think others should apply to EBS?

What's in it for startups?It opens up doors for further opportunities within space industry.What do you think about the space market - what’s happening now and how will it change?It is a very exciting market with a rapid fast development.

Visit the website: https://www.monava.io/

THE CODE COMPANY

Let us introduce you to one of our ESA BIC Sweden Alumni's - The Code Company and its CEO Anders Wihlborg!

What does your company do and what’s the space connection?

Code Company is an award-winning ESA incubator startup focusing on turning new space data into valuable earth insights.

How and when did your startup journey begin?

We won the 2014 Copernicus Masters App Challenge with our application Fallen Trees, a service to detect forest storm damages.

Which obstacles have you met and how have you handled them?

Our main obstacles have been finding economic development resources and co-development partners. We handle it by bootstrapping and making the service more generic from start.

What have you gained by being an incubatee at ESA BIC Sweden?

Being an incubatee and now an alumni is a great door opener when approaching new clients.

Why do you think others should apply to ESA BIC Sweden?

The incentives and support from EBS is a great start for any aspiring space entrepreneur. Is it possible to apply twice?

What do you think about the space market - what’s happening now and how will it change?

With more private actors and growing numbers of Copernicus satellites, new opportunities for the market opens up in a rapid pace. We await the soon approaching launch of Sentinel-1C, replacing the lost Sentinel-1B a few years ago. It will bring higher temporal resolution to free radar images and will boost our forest change detection service.

Find out more about The Code Company: https://codecompany.se/

MANTIS PHOTONICS

Meet Mantis Photonics AB - an ESA BIC Sweden Incubatee!

What does your company do and what’s the space connection?

Mantis Photonics wants to make its patented camera hyperspectral camera available to patients for health screening by imaging the retina.

In the same way a satellite can determine detailed information about the earth's surface from a large distance with a detailed camera, our camera allows you to deliver information about the health of your eye and the rest of your body by taking images of the back of your eye. The eye is the window to your health!

With our technology, retinal imaging is not only safe and fast, but also completely non-invasive, ensuring your comfort and peace of mind.

How and when did your startup journey begin?

Mantis Photonics started in 2021 at Lund University. The company was started by dr Diego Guénot while working in the laboratory of professor Anne L'Huillier.

Which obstacles have you met and how have you handled them?

Mantis Photonics is building a medical product. This is difficult due to the strict Medical Device Regulation (MDR), the long development time and the requirement to manufacture and distribution the devices according to the regulatory standards. We have established a board of directors with a wide expertise range, including an ophthalmologist, an expert in medical law and regulation and an expert in company management.

 

What have you gained by being an incubatee at ESA BIC Sweden?

ESA supports us with a grant and allowed us to expand our network and gain exposure for our product. I was able to pitch at the EBAN conference in Brussels. I even won the pitch competition. The validation of a highly respected institute like ESA is a quality reference for investors.

Why do you think others should apply to EBS? What's in it for startups?

ESA allows you to gain exposure for your idea and to widen your network of investors.

What do you think about the space market - what’s happening now and how will it change?

The space market is expanding fast and will gain commercial importance in the future. The collaborations between government organisations and commercial companies is fascinating.

Read about Mantis Photonics: https://mantis-photonics.com/

PANDION AI

Meet PandionAI - an ESA BIC Sweden Alumni!

What do you do at PandionAI?

The company started in 2019 and we deliver cutting-edge information services vital to customer's business success. Leveraging the power of satellite technology, we ensure correct global information when customer need it for informed, actionable decision making and insight.

Wich obstacles have you met and how have you handled them?

The biggest hurdle has been expanding fast enough with the slow decision processes for early soft financing and grants.

What have you gained by being an incubatee at ESA BIC Sweden?

An early financial startup contribution, an entrance to various events and networks in the industry, but above all a quality stamp on the company through the initial evaluation.

Why do you think others should apply to EBS? What's in it for startups?

Especially for former non-aerospace personnel, it's a great way to get an entry into the industry.

What do you think about the space market - what’s happening now and how will it change?

Despite a weak financial situation today, the space market's arrows are pointing upwards. The basic prerequisites for a global technology are great in an increasingly globalized world.

Visit PandionAI: https://pandionai.com/

Meet PARSEC Space - an ESA BIC Sweden incubatee!

What do you do at Parsec Space do?

Up until recently, access to space was reserved just for a few actors mostly because costs in space are high and risks are even higher. PARSEC is a commercial space agency that provides certification and training of commercial astronauts, offering quality human talent to various commercial human spaceflight operations. Their mission is to widen access to space by reducing risks and improving affordability.

How and when did your startup journey begin?

Our team met during the latest ESA astronaut selection in 2021, where we all applied but ultimately did not make the cut. We then got to thinking about the state of the space industry and where the future of human spaceflight is headed, and we realized the enormous value of the impressive collective talent that exists among the applicants, which could be channelled for advancing the commercial space industry. Between all of us, we have expertise in a range of areas critical to space exploration, such as medicine, physics, astrobiology, engineering, and software development. The team also has experience from the military and space agencies such as ESA and NASA.

Which obstacles have you met and how have you handled them?

Our main obstacle so far has been bridging the gap between the current market and the future that we envision, where a commercial space ecosystem thrives in LEO and beyond. Also, balancing the work of a startup with our own professional and personal lives. Serendipitously, the somewhat long time between now and our future vision allows us to take our time to do things correctly while keeping our daily jobs.

What have you gained by being an incubatee at ESA BIC Sweden?

While we are only 3 months into our incubation, we have received invaluable feedback and greatly benefited from regular meetings with our advisor. That has already helped a lot with both our internal organisation and the development of our product, and we cannot wait to see what we’ll achieve later on.

Why do you think others should apply to EBS? What's in it for startups?

ESA BIC Sweden offers a lot of support from business experts who have specifically worked within the space sector, and that is an invaluable asset when compared to other startup incubators. Furthermore, ESA being one of the world’s historic actors in space exploration, startups have the opportunity to get feedback and mentorship on all that pertains to the space sector.

What do you think about the space market - what’s happening now and how will it change?

As the cost of space launches has been decreasing over time, especially with the development of reusable rockets, the demand for access to space will increase significantly. That unavoidably means that more private actors are going to be needed to meet that demand. That is why we are seeing such quick growth in the new space sector, and we believe this is only the beginning. We’re taking the necessary steps now to be ready for when this magnificent future arrives.

Visit Parsec Space: https://www.parsec.space/