SIX space-related UK tech start-ups got the chance to pitch their groundbreaking innovations to some of the world’s biggest aerospace companies, thanks to a Basingstoke-based partnership.

The ‘Pitch to Primes’ technology showcase, an event run by the UK Space Industry Network at this year’s Farnborough International Airshow., gave each company a stage and 10 minutes to convince a panel, chaired by Boeing and comprising specialists from Airbus, Thales Alenia Space, Lockheed Martin, Inmarsat, Earth-i, SSTL and CGI, to invest in their business.

SETsquared, a multi-award-winning enterprise collaboration between five leading research-intensive universities based in Basing View, partnered with the UK Space Agency in 2015 to create the UK Space Incubator Network – a network of incubators dedicated to identifying and

accelerating the growth of start-up and scale-ups that are leveraging space technology in their businesses.

In addition to the network, the partnership spawned an incubation support programme for business and technology ideas that utilise space tech, such as GPS, 5G, location or satellite data.

To date, SETsquared’s Entrepreneur’s Programme, which also covers digital and health innovators, has supported over 500 participants, with latest figures showing that its graduates have gone on to raise over £8 million investment and generate more than 200 jobs.

Several of the companies chosen that pitched for funding are alumni of the programme, with all of them boasting pioneering products, covering everything from nanotechnology, through to drone tech and cyber security.

Karen Brooks, programme director at SETsquared, said: “We have been running the space tech Entrepreneur’s Programme with the UK Space

Agency now for a number of years, and I am delighted that it continues to show a real and tangible benefit to the UK’s space industry.

"The start-ups chosen to pitch today all have something unique to offer potential investors. I’m looking forward to a great event.”

For more information about SETsquared’s Entrepreneur’s Programme for space technology, go to http://biz.setsquared.co.uk/spacetech1718.