During the EBAN Congress held in Lithuania on 1–2 June 2026, the European Space Agency, together with the European Commission and the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) through the CASSINI initiative, showcased an example of collaborative impact through a dedicated matchmaking session connecting high-potential space startups with investors.
Showcasing innovation from startups
The session brought together four startups from the CASSINI initiative and three ESA Business Incubation Centre (BIC) Lithuania companies—Uvireso, GravityX, and Unmanned Dynamics—each presenting their solutions spanning space-enabled technologies and downstream applications. Notably, Astradyne, a startup from the CASSINI initiative and ESA BIC Turin alumnus, embodied the strength of the ESA ecosystem, demonstrating how incubated companies continue to grow and attract investment opportunities across Europe.
The matchmaking format enabled direct engagement between entrepreneurs and investors, fostering targeted discussions on scalability, commercialisation pathways, and funding needs. The diversity of the pitching companies highlighted the breadth of innovation within both ESA BIC and CASSINI portfolios, while also underlining their complementarity.
Unmanned Dynamics, GravityX and Uvireso presenting during EBAN Congress 2026. Image credits: ESA BIC Lithuania
Strengthening cross-programme synergies across ESA, European Commission and EUSPA
This collaboration increased the visibility of ESA-supported ventures while reinforcing cross-programme synergies, demonstrating how the combination of ESA BICs network with joint investor-facing initiatives from the European Commission, EUSPA and ESA can accelerate the growth of European space startups.
The session concluded with strong investor interest and follow-up discussions, marking it as a tangible step towards strengthening Europe’s space commercialisation ecosystem.