The European Space Agency, in partnership with the German Space Agency at DLR, participated in Deep Tech Momentum 2026, held on 20–21 May in Berlin. The event brought together corporate innovators, investors and entrepreneurs to strengthen Europe’s deep tech ecosystem and increase engagement between the space sector and the financial community.
Showcasing Europe’s space capabilities
ESA contributed to the programme through dedicated sessions on technology development and commercialisation. On 20 May, Dietmar Pilz, ESA Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality, delivered the keynote “Engineering Europe’s Space Advantage: How ESA is Raising the Bar on Technology, Quality and Industrial Readiness”, highlighting the need for European technological sovereignty in space through DeepTech, the importance of scaling startups and linking them to industry buyers and investors, and how space is a key enabler of European competitiveness.
Dietmar Pilz, ESA Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality, at DTM 2026
Walther Pelzer, Member of the Executive Board at DLR, also contributed with a keynote on the role of space as critical infrastructure, underlining its importance for Europe’s economy and strategic autonomy.
Gianluigi Baldesi, Head of ESA’s Ventures and Financing Office, led the masterclass “From Space Technologies to Market Opportunities: ESA’s Commercialisation Agenda”, focusing on how ESA adapts to a New Space approach and how companies can be supported through ESA’s commercialisation activities, highlighting examples such as the ESA Investor Network, the Tech EU Space Envelope, the ESA Marketplace, and more.
Enabling collaboration and market access
The event provided a platform for interaction between ESA-supported startups and industry stakeholders. Through curated matchmaking activities, ESA facilitated more than 25 meetings connecting space ventures with potential partners and customers.
Seven ESA and DLR-supported startups participated in the DTM100 Pitch Competition: apheros, DBSpace, Embodied AI, Enantios, Zaitra, SunCubes and Solid Air Dynamics. Their participation reflects the breadth of innovation emerging from space technologies.
In addition, ESA Marketplace-supported companies were represented in the session “Titans of Europe – Space & Defence – Earth Observation for a Contested World”, featuring industry actors including Max Gulde, Daniel Seidel and Ezequiel Sánchez, alongside representatives from OHB, Isar Aerospace and ICEYE.
Gianluigi Baldesi, Head of ESA’s Ventures and Financing Office, at DTM 2026
The event also contributed to increased visibility of the space sector within the wider deep tech ecosystem, with ESA supporting exchanges between industry, investors and policy actors. This included facilitating connections through the ESA Investor Network, which links space ventures with potential funding partners, and promoting opportunities via the ESA Marketplace, which enables access to space-based solutions and commercial partnerships.