In just 10 years, the market for NewSpace and space technologies has grown by 70% to 224 billion dollars, with expectations of increasing to a trillion dollars by 2040. And Catalonia must seize the opportunity: it has the necessary talent and knowledge, accelerators and incubators with investment interest, success stories such as Sateliot, and public policies, framed in the Estratègia NewSpace of the Generalitat de Catalunya, which seek to promote and accompany this growth. In short, “Catalonia has the capacity to be a leading player in the industry”, says Jaume Sanpera, CEO of Sateliot, in the framework of a TB Content Session promoted by Tech Barcelona and ACCIÓ.

In this round table, we talk about the challenges and opportunities offered by space technologies, with the participation of:

• Jaume Sanpera, CEO of Sateliot, a Catalan company that aims to deploy a constellation of low-orbit satellites to provide 5G coverage for IoT equipment anywhere in the world.
• Xavier Lobao, Head of the Future Telecommunication Projects division of the European Space Agency (ESA).
• Oriol Sans, Senior Startup Manager at ACCIÓ.
• Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona.

Space technology for terrestrial solutions

Satellites, high-tech pieces of technology that work thousands of kilometres above us, already allow us to understand complex phenomena such as climate change or to be connected from anywhere in the world. But “much of the terrestrial solutions offered by SpaceTech are yet to be imagined and developed,” says Xavier Lobao. From controlling millions of cows from space, to monitoring intricate logistical routes or extending the use of autonomous vehicles, Sateliot’s low-orbit satellite network would make it possible to fill the gaps in the current terrestrial mobile network and connect a multitude of points on Earth with 5G connectivity, even in real time.

Europe’s role in the new space race

While the US and China are the kings of space, Europe is relegated to a position of technological dependence. The multi-billion public-private investments in the US and Chinese markets generate competitiveness, and allow the development of large projects, as well as the luxury of trying one’s hand at space exploration. In contrast, Europe has a cooperative, small-project culture, whereby each member country decides what contribution it makes to the European Space Agency (ESA). According to Xavier Lobao, “Europe should be less dependent on third countries and private companies like SpaceX, build its own space policies and have the capacity to establish secure communications”.

Challenges and opportunities for the future

For Jaume Sanpera, the future lies in “simplifying access to funding, having a country like Catalonia that supports NewSpace and fighting for the ecosystem to come to life”. In addition, both experts agree that the formation of “a cluster of SpaceTech companies”, with the support of an endorsing agent such as ESA, would reduce the risk factor for investors and develop technology in a safer and more efficient way, both for the developer and the end user.

After closing 2021 with record investment figures, the technology sector is starting 2022 with new unicorns and an optimistic outlook for the Barcelona ecosystem. Projects and investment no longer understand borders, and this is a bidirectional trend that positions the local entrepreneurial and investment industry. For new projects, having an impact is no longer optional, but an essential starting point; technological disruption in regulated sectors such as health, mobility or fintech is forcing the Administration to find its new role; and data management is becoming a strategic pillar.

In the first panel of 2022, we discussed these trends from the startup, corporate, venture capital and institutional perspectives, and from the mobility, fintech, health and investment sectors; with the participation of:

• Silvana Churruca, CEO of Payment Innovation Hub, an innovation centre created by CaixaBank, Global Payments Inc, Samsung, Visa and Arval to create payment solutions.
• Noemí Moya, Institutional Relations Director at Voi Technology in Spain, France, Italy and Belgium, a Sweden-based sustainable mobility company that offers electric scooters and shared bicycles.
• Montse Daban, Scientific and International Relations Director at Biocat, the Catalan organisation that promotes the health sector.
• Carlos Trenchs, co-founder and managing director at Aldea Ventures, a European venture capital platform based in Barcelona.
• Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona.

Projects and investment no longer recognise borders

As a consequence of the growing interconnectivity between cities, borders are no longer a relevant factor when it comes to investing and developing projects. As Carlos Trenchs commented, in Barcelona, for example, 60% of the capital invested in early-stage startups in 2021 came from international players: “A few years ago, capital came -for the most part- from the local environment. Today, there are global investors looking at initiatives promoted by people with experience and a global vision.

The effect of borders can be double-edged. While on the one hand they fade away, on the other, Brexit also has an effect. Montse Daban assured that “many British companies in the medtech sector have come to Barcelona, with the aim of maintaining their presence in Europe and opening the door to other markets such as Latin America”.

People at the core

Having an impact on society is no longer an option, but an essential starting point for any project. A perspective shared by other productive and industrial sectors. Companies must grow in a purposeful environment, where people are at the centre of decision-making and business strategy.  “Digital transformation cannot leave anyone behind, i.e. accessibility and inclusion in payment systems must be guaranteed for everyone. Our responsibility to the user and support for small local businesses are requirements that are here to stay, and to which we must respond,” said Silvana Churruca.

In this sense, Noemí Moya expressed the shared objective of “creating cities to live better: with less emissions, noise, congestion, and with a multimodal transport service that puts the citizen at the centre”. “We see mobility as a service tailored to society”, concluded Noemí.

From a digital health perspective, the pandemic situation has placed the healthtech sector in a position of unprecedented relevance, which will undoubtedly continue to strengthen over the coming years. Montse Daban forecasts 15% growth in the value of the industry by 2028, which will need to overcome existing challenges in terms of “finding talent and consolidating growth” to materialise.

The administration will have to find its role in the new reality

All the speakers pointed out the need to generate a regulatory framework adapted to the new needs of the market, which is why public-private collaboration will be essential. For Noemí Moya, “although the urban mobility sector has the necessary technology to guarantee the safety of users, the infrastructure is not adapted and there is a lack of clear and homogeneous regulation by the administration. We need to collaborate with them, through the transfer of knowledge, so that mobility becomes a priority in the urban planning of cities”. Silvana Churruca also believes that “regulation must accompany growth and momentum, in order to continue exploring and advancing”. “In the face of new disruptive challenges such as blockchain, NFTs or the metaverse, order is necessary but, at the same time, it must allow us to move fluidly,” she added.

The consolidation of data driven policies

Today’s technology gives us access to a vast amount of data. For the speakers, the future lies in being able to incorporate this information into decision-making. “We are getting used to understanding the results of our activity: every day we wake up with health data, mobility companies have emissions data, and payment companies know which economic activities work best,” said Carlos Trenchs, affirming that “investors want to invest in stocks whose impact can be measured”.