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Find a co-founder for your space tech startup

Space is no longer only about large government programmes. A new wave of companies, often called NewSpace, designs small satellites, subsystems and ground equipment, but many more build downstream services that turn Earth observation, positioning and satellite communications into products for agriculture, insurance, energy, the environment, shipping or infrastructure.

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In short

To find a space tech co-founder, be clear whether you are building hardware for orbit or the ground segment, or a downstream service built on satellite data. Publish your project on EasyCofounder naming the gap, which is often a commercial founder who can sell to customers outside the space industry, or a systems or data engineer for a founder who comes from the target market.

These two families of start-ups need very different teams. A company building flight hardware faces long development cycles, demanding test campaigns and heavy capital needs. A downstream company looks much more like a software and data business whose end customer often knows nothing about space and does not need to.

That is why the profile most often missing is not another engineer, as the sector has plenty, but a co-founder who understands the customer’s job, can turn a satellite image into an answer to a real operational question and can sell that answer to companies or public bodies that buy outcomes rather than technology.

On EasyCofounder, describe your segment, your technical progress, the customers or partners you have already approached and the role you want to fill. You can then connect with systems engineers, geospatial data specialists and commercial people in the UK, Ireland and across Europe who want to join a space company from the start.

Building a Space tech startup: what matters

  • Service before satellite

    Many projects do not need their own spacecraft to get started. A lot of Earth observation data is available, some of it free through the EU’s Copernicus programme, so you can test an offer with paying customers before committing to hardware.

  • Know the public players

    In the UK, the UK Space Agency supports the sector, and the European Space Agency, of which the UK is a member, runs business incubation centres in several countries. Check their current programmes and eligibility rules directly.

  • Licensing and spectrum

    Launching or operating a satellite from the UK is regulated under the Space Industry Act 2018 and related legislation, and radio spectrum has its own procedures. If your plan includes hardware in orbit, take specialist advice early.

  • A culture of verification

    In space, mistakes are rarely fixable after launch, so rigorous design reviews and test campaigns are the norm. A co-founder who has been through them brings immediate credibility with partners, primes and agencies.

  • Long cycles to fund

    From a first study contract to a demonstration mission and then recurring revenue, there are several steps. Founders usually combine institutional contracts, innovation grants and commercial sales, and should get help estimating how much they really need.

  • Markets beyond space

    Downstream services sell to farmers, insurers, utilities, local authorities and maritime operators. A co-founder from one of those industries often opens more doors than one more space specialist would.

Find your co-founder in 4 steps

  1. 1

    Create your free profile

    Describe your skills, your availability and what you bring to a founding team.

  2. 2

    Publish your project

    Say which role you are looking for (CTO, CEO, CMO…), the commitment expected and the equity on offer, in Space tech.

  3. 3

    Let the matching work

    Filter talent by skill and location, or get suggestions of compatible profiles from the AI matching.

  4. 4

    Talk, then meet

    Chat through the built-in messaging, test your collaboration on a first project and put your agreement in writing in a shareholders’ agreement.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be an engineer to start a space company?

No, especially for downstream services, where knowing the customer matters as much as the technology. The founding team does need at least one person able to judge feasibility, data quality and cost with confidence.

Who should I partner with to build a satellite data product?

A geospatial data and image processing specialist is usually essential, ideally paired with someone who knows the customer sector, whether that is farming, insurance, energy or environmental monitoring, so the product answers a real business question.

How can I test a space idea on a small budget?

Start with existing data and a simple analysis prototype, show it to a handful of potential customers and find out whether they will pay for the result. Only then consider your own hardware. Our guide to validating a startup idea walks through the approach.

How should we split equity in a space start-up?

Contributions are often very different: technical expertise, intellectual property from a university lab, commercial networks. Base the split on what each person will contribute going forward, use vesting and have the agreements reviewed by a lawyer.

Where can I find a space tech co-founder?

Publish your project on EasyCofounder with your segment and the role you are offering, then widen your search through aerospace and engineering departments, research labs, space incubation programmes and NewSpace events.

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