Why Europe needs to build spacetech

01 Oct 2026
Main Stage
Main Stage
As geopolitical tensions continue to escalate, Europe finds itself far behind in its ability to access space without the help of foreign companies. A new set of European space hopefuls ranging from rocket launchers to satellite makers are raising large sums from eager VC investors to bolster Europe's sovereign space capabilities — and hopefully compete with US titan SpaceX. The panel digs into why governments, investors and founders are zeroed in on spacetech right now, the importance of space as a sovereign war-fighting domain for Europe and what technologies are being built.
Speakers
Philippe Trillat
Philippe Trillat, CEO - Latitude
Shruti Iyengar
Shruti Iyengar, Investment Director - Future Planet Capital
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet, Senior Tech Reporter - Sifted