Startups
The first incubation cohort
From 13 initial submissions, the Tender Evaluation Board has selected six outstanding deep-tech startups to join ESA BIC Slovakia. Backed by up to €60,000 in equity-free funding and direct ESA technical support, these ventures are scaling cutting-edge upstream and downstream space solutions. Explore our inaugural portfolio below.
AeroStacks
Soilscale
Straton Technologies
Calibris
ZORA
AstroBAT
Aerostacks is a deep-tech startup developing proprietary radar technology for real-time snowpack analysis, optimizing slope management and artificial snowmaking for ski resorts. The company’s sensor systems measure snow properties directly on the slopes, replacing visual estimates with precise data to reduce energy and water consumption while extending the ski season. Founded by high school classmates following success in ESA’s CanSat competition and the Spaceport incubator, the team has rapidly expanded from three founders to eight specialists. Aerostacks earned the Best Student Startup award at Startup Awards Slovakia, secured €120,000 in private investment, and received €60,000 in incubation support from ESA BIC Slovakia. The startup is actively running international commercial pilots at major ski destinations, including Jasná in Slovakia and Silvretta Montafon in Austria.
Soilscale is an agri-tech and precision viticulture startup developing AI-powered crop intelligence solutions to optimize vineyard management. The company combines autonomous drone systems and tractor-mounted sensor probes with computer vision to deliver actionable, real-time insights, including yield estimation, segmentation, and early disease detection. Soilscale leverages multispectral imaging and proprietary machine learning models to digitize field analytics. Demonstrating strong early traction, the team has partnered with Slovak scale-up ekolive and is actively deploying pilot test programs across partner vineyards to establish automated, data-driven viticulture.
Straton Technologies develops stratospheric flight hardware and persistent High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) systems for time-critical Earth Observation and near-space missions. By operating in the 20 to 43 km altitude layer, the company closes the operational gap between satellites, conventional aircraft, and low-altitude drones, enabling high-resolution, multi-hour environmental monitoring and rapid disaster response such as wildfire tracking. The team brings a flight-proven track record of 28 successful stratospheric missions and deep expertise in autonomous avionics, long-range telemetry, and modular gondola design. Incubated within ESA BIC Slovakia, Straton Technologies is commercializing extended-endurance, altitude-controlled balloon platforms as a foundational precursor to its long-endurance PHOTON HAPS aircraft.
Calibris is a deep-tech startup developing an advanced Multi-MEMS Gyroscope Module tailored for small satellite Attitude and Orbit Control Systems (AOCS). The company bridges the gap between low-cost, noisy sensors and high-end, mass-heavy tactical units by utilizing array architecture, spatial diversity, and deterministic signal processing. This self-contained module delivers built-in redundancy through a single unified sensor output, eliminating complex in-house software workarounds and lowering system-level complexity for satellite constellation developers. Selected under ESA BIC Slovakia’s first incubation cohort, Calibris is validating its laboratory prototypes with ESA experts to establish a scalable, European ITAR-free inertial sensing solution.
ZORA Reentry Systems develops high-temperature composite materials and modular Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) for space vehicle orbital reentry, launch vehicles, and hypersonic applications. The company addresses a critical European supply gap by designing and manufacturing commercially available carbon/phenolic composite hardware, including rocket nozzles, engine liners, combustion chamber inserts, and thrust vector control (TVC) flaps. ZORA’s flagship initiative, Project NORA, delivers a modular, adaptable heatshield architecture engineered with PICA-like performance that integrates across various spacecraft configurations without requiring full structural redesigns. Selected for incubation at ESA BIC Slovakia, the startup provides end-to-end custom engineering, advanced composite fabrication, and in-house thermal-mechanical testing to advance sovereign European reentry and propulsion capabilities.
AstroBAT is a space-tech startup developing failure-tolerant, high-reliability battery systems with intelligent Battery Management Systems (BMS) for CubeSats and small satellites. The company tackles a critical vulnerability in standard satellite architectures, where traditional power systems lack string-level redundancy and risk total mission failure from a single degraded cell or radiation strike. AstroBAT’s flagship product, DIOO (Deliver Integrated Power On Orbit), decouples the battery pack from the central Electric Power System (EPS) and deploys autonomous, onboard lifetime-extension algorithms and granular telemetry. Incubated within ESA BIC Slovakia, AstroBAT provides modular space-grade battery hardware, standalone BMS firmware licensing, and integration support to maximize orbital mission longevity for small satellite operators.