The space technology company Spaceborne from Uzbekistan has been included among the 16 finalists of the fourth Demo Day of the international program Constructor Start. These finalists were selected from over 2100 applications submitted by representatives of 94 nationalities.
According to a press release from Constructor Start, the final event will take place on September 21st in Bremen, Germany, where investment decisions will be announced live on stage.
Spaceborne is developing microwave thermal propulsion technology for use in satellite engines. This startup is the first representative from Uzbekistan accepted into the fourth cohort of the program, alongside the first startup from Georgia—Hi Holo from Tbilisi.
Constructor Start notes that the participation of Spaceborne and Hi Holo in the final aligns with the program's global strategy to find technological companies in markets where the potential of DeepTech is not yet sufficiently represented among investors.
In total, the fourth Demo Day brings together 16 companies operating in industrial technology, space, biotechnology, advanced computing, quantum technologies, and applied artificial intelligence.
Constructor Capital directly invests $100,000 USD in each winning team in exchange for equity in the company. Within the current selection, an investment totaling $300,000 USD has been confirmed. In addition to direct funding, finalists gain access to potential additional capital through the Constructor Start network of venture funds and business angels, which can reach a total of $1 million USD.
When making investment decisions, several criteria are taken into account, including the company's mission and vision, product, pricing model, and scalability. The program reports that graduates from the previous Demo Day attracted over $10 million USD in additional funding after last year's selection.
The current cohort also includes two startups—CAUSENEX and Cytokyn M—which were created based on Constructor University. CAUSENEX develops a predictive maintenance system for industrial assets using plug-in sensors and causal artificial intelligence technology. Cytokyn M is working on a next-generation candidate—an IL-1 receptor antagonist for treating long COVID and chronic inflammation associated with aging.
The Demo Day event will take place on September 21st in Bremen and will include discussions featuring researchers, company founders, and investors about advanced technologies, their commercialization, and the creation of technology enterprises.