Redefining Starburst

The Aerospace and Defense (A&D) industry is transforming. With an unwavering commitment to our mission of building a safer, greener, and more connected world, Starburst Aerospace is announcing a milestone that reflects the evolution in our journey as a company.

When Starburst Aerospace first launched in 2012, it was predominantly an aerospace company. There was a narrow definition of A&D and its umbrella of technologies. Today, both the industry as well as the company are  much more complex.

An industry that was once straightforward has blossomed into an ecosystem encompassing a wide spectrum of technologies, intersecting across multiple sectors, with new players entering every day. The advancement of aerospace technologies has become integrated with growth in many crucial global industries, bridging the once-existing disconnect between aerospace and other fields. With nearly 30 aerospace unicorns, there is a booming entrepreneurial scene across the globe, spinning out technologies more diverse than ever before. 

Starburst has been a trusted leader and partner for the established A&D sector for over a decade, working with many governments, defense primes, and large corporates. As the landscape of technological innovation has evolved at an unprecedented pace, so too has our approach as a company. In line with that evolution, we are adapting our company’s name– from “Starburst Aerospace” to simply “Starburst”. By foregoing “Aerospace” from our name, we embrace a broader identity: one that better reflects the work we’re doing, the partners we’re working with, and the broader startup technologies we’re helping launch and scale. 

Dual-use technology has emerged as a crucial frontier with profound implications for the future of innovation, security, and economic growth. Like with the New Space economy, we are seeing a new generation of defense and dual-use companies across the 7 regions in which we are active. As an innovation platform operating through three pillars–startup accelerators, strategy consulting, and venture investments–we at Starburst are continuing to expand and strengthen our global footprint to support the disruptive entrepreneurs that are developing the critical technologies, products, and solutions that address our shared national and economic security interests.

We are looking at and working with priority technologies that range from Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Technologies, Biotechnologies, Advanced Materials, and Space Technologies, to Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Renewable Energy and Propulsion Technologies, and Advanced Manufacturing, among many others.

This has included the development of innovation programs, such as our early-stage French Aeronautics, Space, and Defense accelerator program BLAST with the French Ministry of Defense, the International Space Accelerator between the U.S. and the UK, and more recently, as one of NATO’s leading partners, helping to spearhead accelerator programming for NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), in support of dual-use technologies that address transatlantic defense and security challenges.

By designing innovation programs that build local innovation ecosystems–environments that nurture entrepreneurial spirit and provide innovators with the necessary tools to build thriving, commercial companies–we demonstrate our dedication to bridging the gaps between startups, governments, corporates, universities, research institutions, investors, and each and every player in between. We are bringing commercially-driven, disruptive technologies to the defense sector, while working with defense primes and governments in a collaborative manner for maximum impact for these technologies and startup companies.

We are helping deliver major next generation capabilities by collaborating with leading multinational space and defense industry majors. In collaboration with German defense electronics industry champion HENSOLDT, we launched the first iteration of the FCAS Accelerator in August 2023, designed to identify and accelerate dual-use and defense applications of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) from NATO and allied countries. Launched in July 2024, the new Combat Cloud Accelerator, in collaboration with Airbus Defence and Space, also sources innovative solutions from SMEs and startups for the FCAS initiative, fostering a dual-use environment for emerging European companies.

We continue to work on commercially-focused projects with key global players, including Safran’s Explore H2 program, which accelerates enabling technologies with hydrogen applications, commercializing hydrogen into a viable and technologically feasible solution for net zero goals. At the same time, we are exploring new frontiers in space technologies, like with the recent launch of our global space health accelerator SPACE-H, in collaboration with NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP), the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), and Microsoft.

With a successful track record in accelerating and investing in A&D, we have built an unmatched portfolio of over 150 global startups (having accelerated over 500 startups to date across 27 programs), resulting in two unicorns and one IPO, 10 companies having raised more than $100M each, and 25 more having raised over $10M each.

The name “Starburst” represents a broader scope of innovation and applications–those that now define our work and vision for the sector. We are proud to be at the forefront of this industry transformation, and thank our partners and ecosystem for being part of our journey as we continue to help shape ecosystem-building in the industry.

Starburst has operations in the U.S., France, Germany, Spain, Israel, Singapore, South Korea, and the UK, and is expanding. To explore collaboration opportunities, please reach out to us here.

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About Starburst

Founded in 2012, Starburst is an innovation catalyst in the global Aerospace and Defense (A&D) industry. Combining three complementary activities–startup accelerators, strategy consulting, and venture investments–they help A&D stakeholders innovate, navigate and invest in the dynamic ecosystem. With offices in Los Angeles, Paris, Munich, Singapore, Seoul, Tel Aviv, Madrid, Washington D.C., and London, the team has built a robust community with 60+ partners and a portfolio of 150 startups. Starburst’s leading Flagship Accelerator program helps startups scale their business in aviation, space, and defense, as well as enabling technologies, with access to one of the largest groups of corporate representatives, government stakeholders, and private investors in the world to help startups win their first contracts. More information about Starburst can be found at www.starburst.aero.