LOS ANGELES (September 11, 2023) – Techstars Space Accelerator is proud to announce the 12 startups selected for the Fall Class of 2023. These passionate teams with strong technical backgrounds are going after big ideas in aerospace, including rapid launch services, precision-based imaging, operating systems for complex robotics, in-space servicing, and thermal protection.

Taking place in the thriving tech ecosystem of Los Angeles, the three month mentorship-driven program is bringing together founders from across the globe, along with a heavy US presence. This class also continues to build on our commitment to investing in diverse and underrepresented teams. Of the 12 companies, 8 are led by founders that identify as underrepresented. Thank you to our partners, mentors, and Techstars alumni who help to make Techstars Space successful.

Demo Day is scheduled for a special in-person event on December 6th, 2023! Founders will have an opportunity to pitch their businesses to a community of investors and mentors.

Introducing our Spring 2023 class for the Techstars Space Accelerator!

• Apeiron Space (Huntington Beach, CA)

Apeiron is redefining launch services and space travel by creating a fully reusable, medium-to-heavy class launch vehicle. This approach unlocks rapid, quick-turn launch capabilities, interplanetary travel, and launch-on-demand services.

• closedloop (San Ramon, CA)

closedloop provides a single operating system designed for mission-critical applications, which simplifies robotics development and maintenance, all while providing robustness, scalability and support.

• Esper Satellite Imagery (Melbourne, Australia) 

Esper builds hyperspectral sensors and launches them into orbit to provide never seen before data of the Earth's geology to resource-based industries such as agriculture, mining, and oil and gas.

• GATE Space (San Francisco, CA) 

GATE Space provides satellites with carefree in-space mobility that is comparable to the autopilot in your car. Our GATE Jetpack transforms immobile satellites into highly maneuverable, refuelable space assets.

• iMetalX (Sausalito, CA)

IMetalX develops in-space servicing solutions as well as space behavior monitoring and active debris removal capabilities for satellite operators, insurance providers, payload installers, and governments.

• Iris Light Technologies (Chicago, IL)

For chip designers that need integrated light sources, Iris Light’s photonic inks enable on-chip light across multiple spectral windows.

• Little Place Labs (Houston, TX)

Little Place Labs builds space-edge AI solutions to provide satellite analytics to end-users in less than 7 minutes.

• Locus Lock (Denver, CO)

For increasingly autonomous technologies that fail to safely navigate due to imprecise, unreliable, and insecure PNT sensors, Locus Lock delivers a next-generation GPS/GNSS receiver that allows for secured-centimeter resolution location data access for industrial and consumer products. 

• O Analytics (Fairmont, WV)

O Analytics provides real-time solutions for detecting and characterizing known and unknown objects for military and commercial space asset owners.

• Magma Space (Washington, DC)

For high-precision satellite applications that need micro-radian level pointing, Magma Space provides plug-and-play and ultra-stable ADCS subsystems that outperform the competition by over an order of magnitude.

• PierSight Space (Ahmedabad, India)

For insurers, shipping, defense and maritime agencies who need affordable, high-revisit surveillance, PierSight develops application specific backpack-sized satellite constellations. Our 1st SAR & AIS constellation offers unmatched maritime domain awareness at 1/6th cost of competitors.

• Westwood Aerogel (Berkeley, CA)

Provide affordable aerogel-based thermal barriers, called ZeroTherm, to EV manufacturers for increasing efficiency and thermal runaway protection within battery packs.

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