Cassini Business Accelerator

CASSINI Business Accelerator

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#EUSpace

The CASSINI Business Accelerator is a six-month acceleration programme offering top-level business and investment coaching, training, events, and more that brings together 20 of the top space startups in Europe. The accelerator is tailored to meet the needs of space companies in their growth stage that already have a product on the market and have achieved sales or pre-commercial success, and that want to sustain their commercial growth by developing new market opportunities.

Who We're Looking For

European startups and scaleups

Highly-ambitious and versatile founding teams

Proven commercial traction and product-market-fit

Looking to increase sales

The Programme

Benefits

cross-industry synergies
International growth oriented, focus on sales, and investment
hybrid training
Access to key stakeholders across Europe
Collaboration between european accelerators
Unique collaboration between 58 pan-european accelerator locations
qualified mentors
Highly-qualified mentors for dedicated 1:1 sessions
Benefit
Cross-industry synergies between space and non-space industries
mentoring and fundraising support
E-learning training and peer-learning. Monthly deep dive sessions & expert webinars.
non-dilutive financing
Fundraising support and a 75,000€ voucher for startups who successfully complete the programme
The Programme

Timeline

Open Call

February 1 - March 31
Antenna aerospace

Applications for our first batch, from May-November, are open now. Apply before March 31, 2023.

Startup Selection

April
Timeline

The programme team will assess all applications and select 20 participating companies per batch.

Batch Meetup

June
Aerospacial image

In person batch meetup to bring together all batch participants. All participating companies, lead coaches and accelerator teams can participate. 

6 month programme

May - October
Image satellite

Focus on business and investment coaching, training, events & more. An accelerator tailored to meet the needs of your company. 

Demo Day - Programme end

October
demo day

Marks the end of the programme, graduation of batch startups, through a networking event with investors. 

CASSINI Business Accelerator

The CASSINI Space Entrepreneurship Initiative is a European Commission entrepreneurial support mechanism that cuts across all components of EU Space Programme. It offers actions targeted at the full entrepreneurial lifecycle - from idea generation to market entry and growth – and covers both the upstream and downstream sectors. The CASSINI Business Accelerator is part of the CASSINI initiative. Launched in January 2023, the CASSINI Business Accelerator is the biggest space startup accelerator in Europe. CASSINI includes a seed and growth fund, as well as hackathons and mentoring, prizes, a business accelerator, partnering and matchmaking. Launched in January 2023, the CASSINI Business Accelerator is the biggest space startup accelerator in Europe.

FAQs

How long is the programme?

Upon being selected into the programme, startups will participate in a 6-month accelerator from May - November 2023. 

Do I need to be present in person to participate?
The programme is flexible and you can join both in person in one of our European offices available, or online. We request in-person presence only at the batch kickoff moment.
Can I apply if I am not based in the EU?
No, you must be an EU-registered entity to apply for the programme (Norway & Iceland included, Switzerland is excluded).
How do I get access to the 75,000€ seed voucher?
You need to successfully complete the full 6-month programme to receive the seed voucher. Success will be determined at the beginning of the batch between you and your lead coach.
Do I need to give up equity?
No, you don’t need to give up any equity to participate or to receive the voucher.
Do I need to pay to join certain activities?
All activities are covered by the programme, you only need to cover your travel and accommodation expenses.
What is required of me to fill in the application form?
To complete your application, we request you fill in some information about the participating company and founders, your latest pitch deck, and a video showcasing your motivation to join the CASSINI Business Accelerator.
Is the confidential information we are sharing in the application form safe?
All applications will be treated with complete confidentiality, governed by our T&Cs and privacy policy.
Can we participate in other programmes at the same time?
Yes, you can participate in other programmes, however bear in mind this programme is entirely tailored to the needs of your company, so active participation is encouraged to obtain the desired results, and successfully complete the programme.
We have applied, what happens now?
Our selection period will be held during the month of April. You will hear back from us before the beginning of May on whether you have been selected for the programme.
What is the difference between accelerator locations & offices?
Accelerator locations are readily available locations which you can make use of during the programme. Accelerator offices is where the program team has local presence and can support from, but no physical space available.
What can I use the 75,000€ voucher for?
The voucher is awarded to startups who successfully complete the 6 month programme; there are no limitations in how you make use of the voucher.
How long must the motivation video be?
We recommend a 2-3 minute motivation video. In this video, you should tell us about your reasons to apply for the accelerator, your current challenges as a growing company, your expectations about the programme and what you hope to get out of it. Please share a downloadable link to your video in mp4 format. Your video should be maximum 3 minutes long.
What is the deadline to apply?
The deadline to apply for our first batch is March 31 at 23.59 CET.
What do I need to complete the application form?
Find via this link an overview of what is expected of you to complete the application form. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_AWIQA17NiXG8qFsaO2CZYOaYM1i2WF-/view?usp=share_link

Contact

Get in touch with us by filling in the form below. The CASSINI Business Accelerator Team is happy to help you. Let’s collaborate!