Kit media
Connektica, the Canadian start-up specializing in automated testing solutions for NewSpace contractors and manufacturers, has just announced a fundraising of 2 million euros and the opening of its Toulouse subsidiary. Its successful incubation at the regional incubator Nubbo, the support of Invest in Toulouse and the economic development agency of the Occitanie Region (Ad'Occ) as well as the density of key players in the sector convinced its founders of the potential of this establishment, as close as possible to a dynamic and innovative space ecosystem.
NewSpace, new needs. The revolution that has affected the traditional world of space and its major contractors has seen, with the emergence of private aerospace companies determined to democratize access, the multiplication of new constellations of standard satellites, deployed in low orbit (LEO). Offering more satellites, smaller, faster, but cheaper: an avowed ambition for these new players and an explosion of production that has seen a range of solutions flourish adapted to the needs and requirements of a now very competitive market.
Test standardization and competitiveness
Born in 2019 in Montreal, the young Connektica is fully committed to this new, agile and competitive approach to the conquest of space. The expertise of its founders in electromagnetism, industrial automation and data science has guided the development of a testing and supply chain management platform designed to meet the agendas and requirements of satellite integrators and component manufacturers. Whether they are conducting an R&D or mass production project, it allows them to standardize and automate all their tests (radiofrequency, thermal, mechanical, etc.) and thus significantly reduce the time and costs spent on them. Thus centralized, the data collected and analyzed are compared in real time to the specifications imposed by the demanding quality standards of the space industry, in order to determine their acceptability by the client.
" We first focused on radio frequency testing because it is fundamental to this industry," says Jeremy Perrin, one of the two founders of Connektica. "We have since evolved the platform with other test batteries and enriched it with measurement tools that process production metadata and performance histories to obtain very useful indicators for our customers. Quality requirements, as well as savings in resources and deadlines, are at the heart of our development ."
A subsidiary as close as possible to the major players in the space sector
Convinced by this tailor-made approach, Atem, MDA Corporation and Anywaves are already among the first users of Connektica, which relies on its permanent proximity to the Toulouse space ecosystem to win new customers.
" In Toulouse, everything is in place to offer us the best possible launch base," comments Jeremy Perrin. "We were very well received, both by the support organizations and by the entrepreneurial network. The dynamism of the sector is incredible, open and in tune with a growing market. All ecosystems and parameters are in place and the available resources are highly qualified, we believe in a bright future ."
Supported by the National Research Council Canada (NRC) and its new investors (the Canadian Boreal Ventures, the American Space VC and RAO Family Irrevocable Trust, led by a lead investor and a French investor, undisclosed) Connektica relies on the adaptation and responsiveness of its solutions to convince emblematic players in the sector. It plans to recruit 5 people in the coming months in addition to 10 current employees in Canada and aims to have 15 employees in Occitania by 2024.
