- A €37 million financing from the EIB will help the French deep tech company to invest in manufacturing capacity and research & development of its Optical Ground Stations.
- An additional €20 million comes from other key investors.
- The announcement comes on the sidelines of the World Space Business Week in Paris (15-19 September).
- The EIB loan has the backing of InvestEU, the European programme for innovation.
Cailabs, a deep-tech leader in advanced photonics, today announced it has raised €57 million to accelerate its industrial expansion and global growth. The round of structured financing, led by the European Investment Bank (EIB), combines a €37 million financing from the EIB and a €20 million investment from Bpifrance (Definvest & Innovation), NewSpace Capital, the European Innovation Council (EIC), Starquest Capital, and CAIVE (Crédit Agricole Ille et Vilaine Expansion).
Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President at the European Investment Bank, said: “Space technologies are increasingly important for civilian use as well as for security and defense applications. As the bank of the European Union, the EIB supports Cailabs’ investments in manufacturing capabilities and in research & development of its laser communication technologies. The project is fully aligned with the EIB strategic priorities of security and defense, and technological innovation under its TechEU programme. “
“This funding round reflects our solid fundamentals and the confidence investors have in our strategic vision. It enables us to scale up industrial capabilities and prepare for the next stage of growth” said Jean-François Morizur, Co-founder and CEO of Cailabs.
Cailabs’ financing round was announced on the sidelines of the World Space Business Week in Paris (15-19 September). The EIB loan is backed by the guarantee of InvestEU, the European programme for innovation.
Accelerating Strategic Growth
Access to this structured financing reflects Cailabs’ increasing economic maturity, underpinned by more than 10 Optical Ground Stations (OGS) already under contract.
The proceeds of this financing will support Cailabs’ strategic roadmap, including:
- Scaling up production and strengthening its supply chain, with the goal of producing up to 50 OGS annually by 2027. The company has recently established a new industrial platform capable of assembling and validating up to five stations in parallel.
- Expanding international footprint, building on recent milestones such as the opening of a larger U.S. office, announced by the Governor of Virginia and large overseas contracts.
- Advancing its product offering, including turnkey 100+Gbps solutions, transportable Optical Ground Stations, expanded orbit options…
“Cailabs’ solutions are of strategic importance for France’s sovereignty in Defense and Space,” said Nicolas Berdou, Director of Investments for the funds Fonds Innovation Defense & Definvest.
“We are excited to support Cailabs’ expansion at this pivotal moment for optical communications. The shift is driving significant growth in the space sector, with an ever increasing impact for mission critical applications and our daily lives,” said Daniel Biedermann, Partner, NewSpace Capital.
“The EIC Fund is happy to be part of this funding round for Cailabs, a pioneering company in photonics. Supporting disruptive innovators like Cailabs is essential to strengthening Europe’s competitiveness in deep tech”, said Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board.
“Caïlabs has developed a decisive technology disruption at the heart of the most dynamic Spacetech industry, and they have cracked the key US market, outperforming local industry leaders. It is a real game changer, and continuing supporting such a unique deeptech company was a no-brainer decision for an historical shareholder such as Starquest,” said Arnaud Delattre, Founding Partner & CEO, Starquest Capital.
Background information
About EIB
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. The EIB finances investments in eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives. The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security. In France, the EIB Group signed more than 100 agreements in 2024, totalling €12.6 billion. Nearly 60% (69% in France) of annual EIB Group financing supports projects that help fight climate change and improve climate change adaptation
About InvestEU
The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps to crowd in private investment for the European Union’s strategic priorities such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition.
About Cailabs
Cailabs is a global deep tech company with offices in France and the United States. Founded in 2013, it designs, manufactures, and develops photonic solutions for the space, industry, telecommunications, and defense sectors. A global specialist in laser communication, the company has accelerated its growth in the space field with turnkey optical ground stations enabled by atmospheric turbulence compensation technology. This makes it one of the first companies to harness fast, reliable, and low-latency data links across both space and terrestrial networks.