Six Italian companies presented their innovative solutions in front of industry leaders, researchers and stakeholders such as NASA, in a final Demo Day

The best Italian innovative solutions for aerospace alongside the world’s most important space agency, in a journey that brought six Italian innovative startups and SMEs into the heart of the aerospace ecosystem in Houston, Texas.

The first edition of “Space it Up” – the first all-Italian business acceleration program for aerospace companies in the US – concluded with a sold-out Demo Day event on Wednesday, September 27 at THE ION Houston. The program was created by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) the Italian Space Agency (ASI), in partnership with Space Foundation.

Space it Up unfolded over six weeks, in close contact with the city’s innovative ecosystem, featuring mentorship sessions, workshops, and networking events. Numerous meetings were organized to introduce the Italian companies to local businesses, investors, and important entities, including the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, the Rice Space Center, Nanoracks, the Born Global Ventures Lab, International Accelerator, Roboze, Axiom, and others.

During the final event, the companies presented their innovative solutions, pitching in front of a panel of important stakeholders in the field: Hugues Mbezal, Rice Space Institute, Steven Gonzales, Venture Partner at Seldor Capital, Scott Rodriguez, Vice President of Government Programs for Nanoracks, Wogbe Ofori, Founder & Chief Strategist at WRX Companies, Montgomery Goforth, Assistant Director at the NASA Johnson Space Center, among others.

The special guest of the event was ESA Astronaut Luca Parmitano. His closing keynote speech emphasized the importance of leadership in space missions, drawing from his own experiences and challenges faced in the extreme environment of space.

The event represented a significant opportunity to establish relationships and overseas business agreements, find clients, or secure capital.

Space it Up leaves behind an important legacy within the Houston network: a permanent platform between Italian and American actors in the space-tech sector, a “phygital” collaborative space that will facilitate meetings, exchanges, and business opportunities among entrepreneurs, innovators, and researchers. The platform will be active year-round and was created in partnership between the ITA office in Houston and Village Insights, a leader in building sector-specific communities.

President of the Italian Trade Agency Matteo Zoppas said: “The Space It Up acceleration program, promoted by the Italian Trade Agency together with ASI, immediately proved to be a concrete project. In fact, the six Italian startups involved not only had the opportunity to come into direct contact with key industry stakeholders in Houston, the world home of aerospace, during more than seventy business meetings and fifteen company visits, but also – by leveraging economic, diplomatic and governmental channels – to access the economic fabric of the aerospace sector in that area, which especially for SMEs is as coveted as it is difficult to reach: in addition to opening relational channels, a first commercial agreement was in fact signed, and the foundations were laid for developing more in the medium run, by leveraging the strong interest in Italian know-how in propulsion systems, monitoring and data management aimed at precision agriculture and space traffic detection. New opportunities may also come both from a new platform that will allow startups to continue their dialogue with US stakeholders and from the “Deca Star” consortium that the companies have decided to establish to keep developing innovative solutions in decarbonization. The Italian Trade Agency will continue to be a strategic hub for our SMEs wishing to grow abroad in a highly competitive sector with significant growth margins.”

The initiative was enhanced by the close collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the partnership with Space Foundation. ASI contributed to the program by providing resources and expertise, while the credibility of Space Foundation in the US ensured privileged access to the ecosystem.

Teodoro Valente, president of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), remarked: “Innovative SMEs and start-ups drive innovation in the space value chain. The acceleration program in one of the world’s most dynamic hubs in the space sector represents a great opportunity for these companies to accelerate their growth through internationalization. For this reason, the collaboration between the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Trade Agency is particularly strategic.”

Kelli Kedis Ogborn, Space Foundation vice president of space commerce and entrepreneurship remarked: “Working alongside the six companies these past five weeks has been a joy and an honor. Their passion and excitement is palpable. More importantly, the ideas they will bring to market will unlock new horizons for growth, opportunity, and advancement for all people along the space value chain. I am proud of what they have accomplished in this program, and we can be sure to see their continued presence in the US in the years to come”.

About Space it Up

Space it Up is an initiative of the ITA office in Houston, which supports and nurtures commercial relationships between Italian aerospace companies in the United States, and the Italian Space Agency, in collaboration with the Space Foundation.