The Aachen spin-out FibreCoat secures 20 million euros to carry superfibers into spacecraft

German startup FibreCoat has raised €20 million in Series B funding to bring its super-durable materials to the emerging space industry.

FibreCoat was founded in 2020 by RWTH Aachen. The startup has developed a patented process for coating fibers with metals and plastics during the spinning phase. This creates fibers that are light and conductive, yet strong and durable – at a fraction of the traditional cost. These can then be spun together to form reinforced composite materials.

To date, FibreCoat has focused on winning customers in the automotive, construction and defense industries, where the materials are particularly useful Radiation protection and weight reduction applications. Now things are looking up for the company.

Spacecraft require materials that can withstand extreme temperatures, radiation and electromagnetic interference (EMI) without adding unnecessary weight. “Space is a rapidly growing sector, and launch vehicles and satellites increasingly require coated fibers to withstand harsh conditions,” said Dr. Robert Brull, CEO of FibreCoat.

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Luxembourg-based NewSpace Capital co-led the funding round, bringing key expertise as the startup looks to capitalize on the expanding space ecosystem. projected reach $1.8 trillion by 2035.

“Space and terrestrial supply chains are converging,” said Bogdan Gogulan, managing partner at NewSpace Capital, adding that FibreCoat has the potential to address critical challenges across a variety of industries.

FibreCoat will use the fresh funding to advance research and development and scale production to commercialize its fiber coating technology.

The startup is by no means the only spinout access story to emerge from RWTH Aachen in recent years.

One of the fastest growing is Cylib. The startup is currently building the largest project in Europe Electric vehicle battery recycling plant.

The founders of Cylib – Dr. Lilian Schwich, Paul Sabarny and Dr. Gideon Schwich – founded the company after a decade of research into battery recycling at RWTH Aachen University. The partners say their method uses 30% less energy than the competition.

Another big player is Black Semiconductor, which made gains €254.4 million in June. That's a huge raise for any startup, let alone a European one. What's even more impressive is that the company is only four years old.

The brothers Daniel and Sebastian Schall founded Black Semiconductor in 2020. The startup is developing a novel chip connection technology using the “miracle material” graphene.