Gitai, a Torrence, CA-based space robotics startup, raised additional US$15.5M in funding.
The round was led by Maezawa Fund, a venture capital fund established and operated by Japanese entrepreneur and commercial astronaut Yusaku Maezawa. Other investors included Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, Green Co-Invest Investment Limited Partnership, Kyoto Capital Partners (KCAP Venture) and Tycoon Capital No. 4 Limited Partnership.
This followed US$30M raised in May 2023 and US$15M raised in August 2023, bringing the total in the Series B Extension round to US$60.5M.
Led by CEO Sho Nakanose, Gitai operates in two business areas: on-orbit services and lunar infrastructure construction. To reduce the cost of space operations by 100 times, the company is developing robotic satellites for on-orbit services, lunar robotic rovers for infrastructure construction, and inchworm-type robotic arms that can be used in both areas. All of these technologies are being developed in-house.
In late 2023, the company relocated its headquarters from Japan to the United States, with all non-U.S. national management team members obtaining permanent resident status, officially establishing Gitai as a U.S.-based company. Since then, they have expanded their space robotics business and production capabilities in the U.S. space and defense market, achieving key milestones such as selection for NASA SBIR, orders from DARPA, a technology demonstration outside the ISS, AS9100 and NIST SP800-171 certifications, and the expansion of headquarters and production facilities.
FinSMEs
14/11/2024