11th December 2014: New and old investors support D-Orbit space business

NEW AND OLD INVESTORS SUPPORT D-ORBIT SPACE BUSINESS

Como Venture and Quadrivio Capital SGR: a new step in fundraising for D-Orbit success story

Milan, 11th December 2014. D-Orbit – a young company working in space sector and promoting innovation and technological development for the imminent problem of space debris mitigation – has succesfully obtained a new round of investments along its fundraising path.

The company has been able to involve old and new financial investors in this round of investments: Quadrivio Capital SGR, which has accompanied and supported D-Orbit since its birth and all along its growing path, and Como Venture, one of the most dynamic financial reality in the Italian world of start-up companies.

D-Orbit, operating in the development of systems for satellite decomissioning – systems responsible for the safe and control removal of satellites at the end of their operating life – has taken just a little more of three years to became an international reality with a solid presence in Europe and in the USA, to qualify its innovative device, to secure important commercial partnerships and to obtain support and recognition from space agencies all over the world, including, among the others, ASI, ESA and NASA.

Born in 2011 from the idea of 4 young aeropsace engineerings, the company has achieved significant successes during the years and with continuity, thanks to the support of the TT Venture Fund, the Quadrivio investment fund segment focused on venture capital. All this has allowed the company to become a small but dynamic reality, able to secure important agreements with the big players of space sector.

The fundraising process does not end with this investment round, but it will continue in 2015 with the aim of attracting new Italian and foreign investors.

Luca Rossettini, first funder and CEO of the company, has publicly thanked Quadrivio for the support it has given to the company growth in these years and Como Venture which will allow D-Orbit to quickly develop its commercial and technological progresses and so to become a leader of decomissioning systems for space. “We provide satellites with an intelligent propulsive motor” – Rossettini says – “but we – as the real motor of this project – need as much fuel and Quadrivio and Como Venture are what we really needed. In D-Orbit we like velocity and the fuel we are going to find in 2015 to speed up our motor, will really take us in orbit”

The vitality and the inclination to innovation of the company have attracted a new professional investor, Como Venture, which confirms its inclination to select and believe in development and innovation projects, which have positive outcomes for the territory and high growth potential.

Maurizio Traglio, President of Como Venture, points out that the financial society takes part in the investment in accordance with the general objective of the project “Sistema Como” presented by President of the Chamber of Commerce of Como, Paolo De Santis, to promote innovation culture in order to support the systematic creation of new enterprises. These will be part, together with universities, research centres, and structures providing physical and economical capital, of what could be considered a real “system”.

In particular Como Venture – financial society whose members are 26 enterpreneurs of the area – will have the opportunity to take part in a really innovative project as well as the possibility to include in this initiative other companies of Como area. This is a concrete possibility, seen the high number of possible application of the project.

Quadrivio, one of the main Italian venture capital investment group with more than 60 professionals and around a billion euros of assets under management, through the venture capital fund TT venture, aims at value the initiatives in sectors defined by a high degree of technology and innovation, such as Life-Science, New Materials, Clean Tech and Agro-Food. “We are really satisfied of D-Orbit successes. In 2011 it was only an idea and today it is a start-up company in contact with the main industrial operator of the sector” – Elisabeth Robinson – Investment Director of the Venture Capital Area of Quadrivio Capital SGR – commented. “We supported the company in this operation and we will support it in the research of other investors to respect next year’s development agenda”.

The announced investment is an important step for D-Orbit, but it is not the last one. Actually, new important investments will be necessary, following the strategy of collaboration with the centres of scientific excellence and implementing industrial and commercial relationships with local and international partners.