A rocket for a new generation of satellites, remote-controlled trucks and software to calculate CO2 emissions: these are successful products created by the start-ups Isar Aerospace, Fernride and Tanso Technologies. At the TUM Entrepreneurship Day, all three were nominated for the Presidential Entrepreneurship Award. The winner was the aerospace start-up.
TUM Presidential Entrepreneurship Award presented to Isar Aerospace
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The 10th Entrepreneurship Day at the Technical University of Munich again brought together entrepreneurs, students, researchers, investors and many other guests from the worlds of private enterprise and science. The rapid growth of the TUM and UnternehmerTUM ecosystem is also reflected in the size of this networking event. The full-day program included presentations by start-ups, workshops for prospective entrepreneurs and expert discussions on innovation.
The Presidential Entrepreneurship Award was also presented for the tenth time. Key criteria for the jury were business ideas driven by the results of research, strong growth potential and initial success in obtaining financing. The award comes with a 10,000 Euros cash prize donated by the Association of Alumni and Friends “Freunde der TUM”.
Winners: Isar Aerospace
From communication networks to autonomous driving or digital agriculture: for dozens of new technologies, satellites are needed for data communications. To make this possible, providers want to fire entire swarms of satellites into space. They will be relatively small and will move in low orbits. But existing rockets used for satellite launches are designed for much larger payloads. Especially in Europe, the launch resources for the new generation are scarce and expensive.
Isar Aerospace has developed a launch vehicle tailored to small and midsized satellites that will facilitate efficient transport. The start-up not only produces the technology. It will also organize the launches for customers.
The founders Daniel Metzler, Josef Fleischmann and Markus Brandl studied aerospace at TUM and worked on rocket engines in the student research group WARR. After starting their company in 2018, they built their first prototypes in the MakerSpace high-tech workshop. At UnternehmerTUM they also received support in the XPRENEURS incubator. Unternehmertum Venture Capital Partners invested in the start-up along with various other investors in several funding rounds. Isar Aerospace now has around 350 employees in Ottobrunn near the TUM Department of Aerospace and Geodesy. The start-up is planning to launch its first rocket before the end of this year.
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