Trajectory, Cardiff 2023
‘Tis that time of year again! As 2023 comes to a close, we had to celebrate a successful year at the UK Space Agency Accelerator with a bang. That is exactly what we did with our final Trajectory event of the year, which took place in Cardiff.
The aim of Trajectory is to enable entrepreneurs within the UK Space Agency Accelerator community to discover opportunities in the wider ecosystem, including customers, suppliers and investors. Trajectory also aims to showcase the vibrancy and diversity of the space start-up ecosystem to regional businesses, investors and public sector stakeholders.
The event came off the back of another exciting week, as we closed applications for our second Leo & Geo cohorts. As applicant reviews are underway, we are proud to share that the quality of applications continues to demonstrate the strength of the UK space industry and we are proud to have seen many of the previous Explore alumni continue their journey with the UK Space Agency Accelerator. We also got to say hello to members of our alumni and current cohorts at Trajectory!
The Event
The event was held at the incredible Techniquest - a science discovery centre located along Cardiff Bay. The facility offers visitors a hands-on approach, featuring a science theatre, a planetarium, and an exhibition area boasting more than 100 interactive displays designed to engage visitors of all ages. It certainly provided a fun backdrop to the initial networking, as regional stakeholders, entrepreneurs and investors collected into the event.
The day kicked off with our Meet the Supplier’s session. The session consisted of a roundtable, which was a chance for entrepreneurs to pitch what they do, followed by a facilitated discussion on how SME’s can engage with the supply chain and support entrepreneurs in the challenges they face. It was then concluded with a Carousel. It was a chance for entrepreneurs to go around the room and have a 10 minute 1:1 with each supplier to learn more about what they do and how they can support them in their own business journey.
We then all proceeded to the main stage, where we were welcomed by Jodie Faitakis, Project Lead at the UK Space Agency Accelerator. She kicked things off by introducing us to our keynote speakers.
Annelise Look, Deputy CEO from the UK Space Agency
Paul James, Senior Strategic Manager, Welsh Government
Rosie Cane, Cluster Manager, Space Wales
After the keynote speeches, we broke the attendees out into an activity called Venture Quest: Navigating the Space Ecosystem. The creative brain-child of Jodie Faitakis and Joel Freedman, This was an opportunity for the teams to explore the different support services available across the space ecosystem. They were challenged to get creative, working together to generate a business idea, identify the relevant support services, and record a unique 60-second pitch. Our panel of judges then assessed the recordings for the grand reveal. It was fantastic to see everyone get involved!
Time to Pitch!
With the Venture Quest pitching over, it was time for our entrepreneurs to pitch about their real businesses. Punctuated with an upbeat tracklist courtesy of Ashleigh Dinter from UK Space Agency Accelerator and Dan Veal from Exotopic, we had six incredible entrepreneurs take the stage to deliver their 60-second pitches to a panel of expert judges.
Pitching was:
Douglas Robinson - Solid State Dynamics
Adam Paigge - Supernova Labs
Along the panel we had:
- Entrepreneurial Spark – Catherine Jones
- Airbus – Simon Rose
- Foot Anstey – Kee Evans
- Satellite Applications Catapult - Joel Freedman
- Frazer-Nash – James Cornish
It was an incredible display of talent and ambition, watching the entrepreneurs deliver their business propositions - with judges remarking on the growth and improvement they all showcased in their pitching abilities. Of course, however, there could only be one winner, which was Flow Collingwood - Pan Galactic Developments Ltd, who won the grand prize of a £500 grant towards the development of his business. A huge congratulations again to Flow and the entrepreneurs who took part!
What is a celebration to a successful year, without a drinks reception? To round off another fantastic Trajectory event and impactful year at the UK Space Agency Accelerator, we all gathered together to connect, discuss the impact of the day and toast to the achievements of the entrepreneurs and accelerator alike.
Guest Speaker
Joshua Western from Space Forge took to the stage and delivered a compelling speech outlining his personal business journey and the sheer tenacity needed to take his idea to the next level. The speech was truly inspiring, as Josh detailed challenging moments, such as having to speak with 156 investors before finally getting the backing he needed. With the entrepreneurs leaving the room with a new found sense of faith in their own business journeys, it marked another successful event connecting regional space members and stakeholders.
We look forward to continuing to journey across the UK, connecting relevant regional networks and driving innovation within the UK space sector into 2024!
Are you a space entrepreneur looking to raise up to £2 million in seed or pre-seed funding? Then consider joining The UK Space Agency Fusion programme - our investment-completion programme aimed at accelerating early-stage space industry start-ups to raise funding from angels and stage-appropriate funds
Applications are now open and will close on 12th January 2024. Click the link below to apply and find out more about how the Fusion Programme can support you to become truly investment-ready and connect you with early-stage investors.