Show Notes
Space is important for lots of economic and strategic reasons. But sometimes, while I've been researching this series, I just had to shake my head in wonder and say, "Wow." Because the technology is so amazing. Omar Qaise had a moment like that. He grew up in Baghdad dreaming of space, and went on to build OQ Technology, a Luxembourg-based company putting 5G directly into space and connecting ordinary smartphones and IoT devices to satellites the size of a shoebox, no special hardware required. In this episode, we visit Omar to hear how a boy from Iraq became the founder of a European company changing what connectivity means for the 80% of the world with no mobile coverage. Backed by the EIB, OQ Technology is now scaling from five satellites to fifty and beyond. The story of how Omar knew it was working is one you won't forget. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Invested by Europe
Rockets and satellites get the headlines. But what makes them work? Here are five technologies you've probably never heard of, but they're set to have a big impact on how rockets work and, even, on your electricity bill. We'll hear from the founders of companies working on: the pressure vessels inside every rocket and satellite; a green propellant to replace hydrazine, which can be stored for ten years and restarted in under thirty seconds; the aerospike engine, theoretically superior for sixty years and never yet demonstrated in flight; onboard software that lets satellites decide for themselves what to photograph; satellite data that helps power lines carry more electricity. Five technologies. None of them famous. All of them essential. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tomas Jonsson leads the Cassini team at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space. It's the EU's space entrepreneurship programme. He describes how Europe's space sector has changed since 2019, with many more companies, real commercial growth and significant private investment. He also talks about the careers the sector offers beyond engineering, and about how companies in Poland, the Czech Republic, Scandinavia and the EU's smaller countries are catching up to the traditional big space economies of Germany, Italy and France. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
AIKO founder Lorenzo Feruglio explains how automation lets satellites make their own decisions, reducing waste and boosting profits (because right now only 10% of the data gathered by a satellite is monetised). An interview about software, artificial intelligence and...fixing a problem that less original thinkers didn't even know existed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Europe's space investment hit a record €1.4 billion in 2025. The first half of 2026 already surpassed that amount. We look at the grants, equity, venture debt and, for the first time, commercial bank lending pushing space up the financial agenda. You'll hear from venutre capital investors at Warsaw's OTB Ventures and the European Investment Fund, bankers at the European Investment Bank, and the European Space Policy Institute analyst who tracks where the money goes. Sateliot founder Jaume Sanpera explains why an EU loan is "much more than money". He also names the financial layer Europe needs to build next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Space is Europe's "invisible infrastructure". Giancarlo Granero, who leads on the space economy at the European Commission, explains how the European Union's Cassini initiative turned €200 million into a venture ecosystem that raised €1 billion last year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.