Starburst Aerospace

Starburst Aerospace, founded in 2012 in Paris and now headquartered in Los Angeles, is a global aerospace and defense startup accelerator and venture investment firm operating at the intersection of commercial innovation and defense/government procurement — running acceleration programs that connect early-stage aerospace startups with major industry primes (Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Safran) and government agencies as strategic customers, investors, and technology partners.

Starburst operates offices in eight cities globally — Los Angeles, Paris, Munich, Singapore, Seoul, Tel Aviv, Madrid, and Washington DC — providing local market access and corporate partnership networks across the major aerospace industry clusters in the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. This geographic footprint enables portfolio startups to navigate procurement processes and partnership negotiations in multiple markets simultaneously, a critical advantage in the highly relationship-dependent aerospace and defense procurement environment.

Starburst Ventures, the firm's investment vehicle, invests in early-stage aerospace, defense technology, and dual-use deep tech companies across its global accelerator pipeline. With a portfolio exceeding 140 startups, Starburst's portfolio spans propulsion, avionics, autonomous systems, space situational awareness, cybersecurity, advanced materials, and AI-enabled mission systems. Notable portfolio companies include companies from multiple NewSpace sub-sectors benefiting from both Starburst acceleration resources and the firm's corporate partner introductions.

The firm's accelerator programs run structured cohorts pairing startups with Starburst's corporate innovation partners for technology evaluation, joint development agreements, and procurement pilot contracts. This corporate venture-accelerator model generates revenue from corporate membership fees while also creating the deal flow and strategic context for Starburst Ventures' equity investments. Starburst competes with Lockheed Martin Ventures, Boeing HorizonX, and Techstars Defense in the defense tech accelerator market.