Panel: Space, sovereignty and strategic capital in Europe

The Space Economy Boom: Sovereign Capital, Starlink Alternatives, & Space Tech Trends Is space tech the single biggest venture capital opportunity of our decade? While artificial intelligence captures headlines, the global space market has quietly expanded to double the size of the AI sector, pacing at more than $640 billion. From global defense and cybersecurity to monitoring climate change, space has become the ultimate high ground for critical national infrastructure. In this panel from the Global Corporate Venturing (GCV) Conference, legal, financial, and space agency pioneers from DLA Piper, Seraphim Space, Jera Ventures, and the European Space Agency (ESA) tackle the structural shifts defining the sector. The experts explore the geopolitical reality of sovereign dependencies on systems like Starlink, the booming space tech ecosystems across Europe and the APAC region, and the delicate balance between private VC funding and government subsidies. Stick around until the end to hear the panelists place their bold bets on the single highest-growth space segments to watch heading toward 2030 and 2040. 🕒 Interactive Timestamps 00:00 - Welcome & Panelist Introductions (Luca Gori, DLA Piper) 00:54 - Meet Jera Ventures: Transforming Energy Value Chains & Physical AI 03:58 - Inside the European Space Agency (ESA): Triggering a €22 Billion Space Economy 08:26 - Seraphim Space: Tracking the Historic $18.8B Surge in Space Venture Capital 11:53 - Critical Infrastructure: The Truth About Starlink, Sovereign Vulnerabilities, & GPS 14:10 - Global Competition: How Europe & APAC Space Tech Ecosystems Are Scaling 20:04 - Sovereign Capital vs. Private Markets: Anchor Customers vs. Subsidizing "Zombie" Companies 23:24 - Future Outlook: Top Space Investment Segments for 2030 (Space Biotech, In-Orbit Servicing, & Data Centers) 👥 Featured Panelists & Moderator: Luca Gori (Moderator) – Co-Head of Emerging Growth & Venture Capital at DLA Piper Takeshi Kodama – Head of Jera Ventures ($300M global energy and technology fund) Gianluigi Baldesi – Corporate & Financial Relations Lead at the European Space Agency (ESA) Rob Desborough – General Partner at Seraphim Space (The world's first space-focused VC fund) Louis Head – Senior Aerospace, Defense, and Space Regulatory Lawyer at DLA Piper 🔔 Subscribe to Global Corporate Venturing for more exclusive masterclasses:    / @globalcorporateventuring   About Global Corporate Venturing (GCV): GCV is the definitive publication, data provider, and networking hub for the corporate venture capital industry. We bridge the gap between emerging startups and global corporate entities, shedding light on the sophisticated investment tools, regulatory frameworks, and operational models driving cross-industry venture success.