Swiss SpaceTech Startup Snags $70 Million for Sovereign Satellite Growth

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-16

SWISSto12, a SpaceTech company based in Lausanne, Switzerland, just closed a massive $70 million Series C funding round. The company is scaling its multi-orbit payload and satellite business to meet surging demand from both commercial clients and sovereign governments. While the investors in this round remain unnamed, it builds on a previous $84.8 million raise in January from European Space Agency (ESA) member states. That earlier funding supported the HummingSat ARTES partnership project, which helps SWISSto12 develop and validate its HummingSat satellite in orbit. ### The Big Picture on Space Infrastructure Emile de Rijk, CEO and founder of SWISSto12, puts it simply: "Space is increasingly recognised as essential infrastructure for the global economy." He notes that the company's solutions are creating new opportunities across direct-to-device connectivity, media broadcasting, intersatellite data relays, and sovereign communications infrastructure. Many of these missions span multiple orbits. This funding round is part of a bigger trend. Across Europe's satellite manufacturing, connectivity, Earth-observation, and space-infrastructure market, 2026 has been a banner year for financing. EU-Startups has reported selected rounds totaling roughly $682.7 million for companies like ICEYE, Hydrosat, SatVu, UNIVITY, NewOrbit, AIRMO, and fellow Swiss SpaceTech firm Stellar Alpina. Including SWISSto12's latest round, that total jumps to about $753.7 million. ### Financial Strength in Numbers Fredrik Gustavsson, Chief Financial and Strategy Officer, paints a clear picture of the company's financial health. "The financial picture at SWISSto12 is robust and primed for global growth," he says. "$140 million in revenue for 2025, more than $500 million in customer contracts, and a 110% compound annual growth rate since 2022." These are the signals of an agile business deploying capital efficiently at scale. - **2025 Revenue:** $140 million - **Customer Contracts:** Over $500 million - **Growth Rate:** 110% CAGR since 2022 - **EBITDA:** Positive in 2026 ### What Makes SWISSto12 Different? Founded in 2011, SWISSto12 describes itself as an enabler of the new space economy. The company leverages patented manufacturing and design technologies, like 3D printing, to build disruptive payloads. These payloads can be hosted on any platform, for any mission, in any orbit. They work either on a third-party satellite or on SWISSto12's own compact geostationary platform, HummingSat. Right now, the company is delivering payloads for several low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations and seven HummingSat GEO platforms to global operators. To date, SWISSto12 has secured seven contracts for its HummingSat geostationary small satellite with leading operators like SES and Viasat. ### Expanding Reach with HummingLink Beyond satellites, SWISSto12 has expanded its HummingLink multi-orbit payload and antenna solutions business. These solutions are now part of LEO constellation customer programs and diverse missions across Europe and APAC. Over 2,000 HummingLink solutions are already deployed in orbit across active space missions. This Series C comes after a period of sustained commercial growth. With revenues of $140 million for 2025 and total contract values now exceeding $500 million, the company is driving positive EBITDA in 2026. The new funding will scale manufacturing and integration capacity to meet accelerating demand from both commercial and sovereign government customers. That demand spans HummingLink's advanced multi-orbit payload solutions and HummingSat's GEO satellite product line. ### What This Means for the Space Industry Taken together, these announcements show capital flowing across both large sovereign satellite platforms and earlier-stage technologies. Investors are betting on connectivity, observation, and movement between orbits. SWISSto12's success signals that space is no longer just a frontier for exploration—it's essential infrastructure for the global economy.