Stellar Ventures takes flight with $23m for inaugural space tech fund

• Stellar Ventures draws on the network and technical expertise of aerospace engineering partner Stellar Solutions Inc
• Celeste Ford founded Stellar Solutions in 1995 and led it as CEO until becoming board chair in 2018
• Ford launched Stellar Ventures in 2022

Stellar Ventures, a woman-led venture firm, has raised $23 million for its debut early-stage space tech fund.

The limited partners for SV Andromeda Fund were not identified.

“We are standing at the precipice of exponential growth in the space industry, similar to the Internet in the late 1990s,” managing director Celeste Ford said in a statement. “Amazon, Google and Netflix were built upon the Internet’s foundation. Stellar Ventures is investing in promising entrepreneurs who are capitalizing on these opportunities to build the space companies of tomorrow.”

Morgan Stanley has predicted that the global space market could grow from $350 billion today to more than $1 trillion by 2040.

In addition to Ford, the Stellar team includes managing director Matt Patterson, an angel investor and former CEO of Roady’s Truck Stops, and operating partner David Anderman, former general counsel at SpaceX.

Stellar Ventures draws on the extensive network and technical expertise of aerospace engineering partner Stellar Solutions Inc.

Ford founded Stellar Solutions in 1995 and led it as CEO until ascending to board chair in 2018. Stellar Solutions specializes in high end systems engineering, serving intelligence, defense, civil, commercial and international space customers.