Business Factory Aero participated in Invertir en Ciencia SÍ es Rentable, a strategic meeting of scientists, investors and technology-based companies held in Santiago de Compostela, to showcase examples of accelerated companies that reinforce the slogan of this fourth national meeting, organised by UNIRISCO and Xesgalicia.
The companies Vig-Sec DroneandKreios Space participated in a round table discussion to share their experiences on the value of the Business Factory model as a lever for promoting entrepreneurship and science in the service of strategic sectors, moderated by IGAPE.
Along these lines, Noelia Gil, director of operations and co-founder of Vig Sec-Drone, explained the added value of ‘connecting with the Galician ecosystem because it opened many doors for us.’ She also acknowledged that ‘the experts we had access to helped us position ourselves in the market.’
For his part, Jan Mataró, CTO and founder of Kreios Space, explained how they decided to move the company from Catalonia to Galicia: ‘We needed a vacuum chamber to carry out some tests and, thanks to BFAero, we had the support of the Xunta de Galicia through IGAPE and we ended up getting the project off the ground.’ Having a favourable environment of public support, investors and a strong ecosystem encouraged the company to make the move. ‘Initially, eight of us moved, and now there are more than 25 of us.’
Alongside the start-ups, more than 50 speakers analysed investment in deep tech technologies as a driver of economic transformation and social impact, and the need for private capital to boost competitiveness, technological sovereignty and sustainable growth.
Patient investment
During this event, the role of public and private investors was also analysed, as well as the need for investment in science and technology-based companies to be approached as a patient investment.
Vig Sec-Drone and Kreios Space are examples of entrepreneurs with disruptive technology that has generated interest among public and private investors. At the end of 2025, Vig Sec-Drone closed a €1 million investment round to accelerate its growth and consolidate its technology. The round was led by Encomenda Capital Partners SGEIC and included the participation of Lugo Transforma, XesGalicia and Vigo Activo Sociedad de Capital Riesgo.
For its part, Kreios Space closed an €8 million seed investment round led by NATO Innovation Fund and Join Capital, making it the largest European funding round for VLEO technologies. The operation was also backed by other investors, including Xesgalicia, Grow Venture Partners, and Tasivia Global.
The start-ups SLIMOP Space, Eurosafe Systems and H2 Dron Energy, participants in the Business Factory Aero (BFAero), attended the 4th edition of Science for Industry (S4i), held on 28 and 29 January 2026 in Madrid, with the support of the Regional Government of Galicia. This is one of the leading international events in technology transfer and innovation based on Deep Science.
Science for Industry is a meeting point where science connects directly with industry, bringing together start-ups, technology centres, universities, large corporations and investors with the aim of accelerating the market launch of advanced technological solutions.
Galicia, present at an international innovation forum
La participación de las empresas de BFAero se realizó dentro del stand de la Xunta de Galicia, un espacio que reunió a los principales actores del ecosistema tecnológico gallego y que sirvió como plataforma de visibilidad, conexión y generación de oportunidades.
The participation of BFAero companies took place within the stand of the Regional Government of Galicia, a space that brought together the main players in the Galician technological ecosystem and served as a platform for visibility, connection and the generation of opportunities.
During the event, the start-ups had the opportunity to establish contact with investors, technology providers, research centres and potential industrial partners, exploring new avenues for collaboration and knowledge transfer in a highly specialised international environment.
The presence of SLIMOP Space, Eurosafe Systems and H2 Dron Energy at Science for Industry highlights BFAero’s role as a platform connecting innovation, industry and the market, facilitating the participation of its projects in strategic forums that promote collaboration, technology transfer and business growth.
Slimop Space, a start-up promoted by Business Factory Aero (BFAero), received the National Industry Award “Bien hecho en España” in the Industrial Entrepreneurship category from His Majesty King Felipe VI during the 8th National Industry Congress, which is being held until 5 February in Bilbao.
The award recognises start-ups with a strong capacity for innovation in developing industrial projects with high added value that strengthen competitiveness, sustainability, digital transformation and the development of their own productive and technological capabilities.
The Regional Minister for Economy and Industry, María Jesús Lorenzana, congratulated the company on receiving the award and highlighted the importance of this recognition for Slimop Space, which is given to newly created companies for their innovative capacity. ‘One of the pillars,’ she said, ‘on which the advanced industrial policy is based, goes hand in hand with the company, the technology and the talent we have and want to attract to Galicia, consolidating us as a leading region in the acceleration of high-impact technological projects.’
This recognition represents significant endorsement of the company’s track record and reinforces BFAero’s role as a platform supporting technological and industrial entrepreneurship geared towards technological sovereignty. BFAero is now a strategic lever for business creation and acceleration within the framework of the Strategic Initiative for Security, Defence and Aerospace 2025-2030, promoted by the Regional Ministry of Economy and Industry, through Igape (Galician Institute for Economic Promotion) and Xesgalicia.
Slimop Space has been part of the Business Factory Aero ecosystem since its sixth edition, in which it participated in the Acceleration track. It has now been selected for the seventh edition of the programme in the Consolidation track.
The first edition of the National Industry Awards, organised by the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, recognise business initiatives that stand out for their contribution to strengthening Spanish industry, technological innovation, and the development of solutions with high economic and social impact, making excellence a hallmark of the industry.
BFAero, Spain’s best accelerator according to the Funcas ranking
Recognised for the second consecutive year as the best accelerator in Spain in the Funcas national ranking, the programme has had a strong economic and innovative impact in Galicia.
Since its launch in 2018, it has supported 58 projects, created 15 new technology companies, and promoted the relocation of 13 companies to Galicia and the creation of more than 270 skilled jobs. The projects in the 5th and 6th editions have attracted more than €14 million in investment.
SLIMOP Space will take its optical technology into space in 2027, consolidating its technological roadmap, its positioning in the sector and the growth of the start-up. SLIMOP joined the Business Factory Aero (BFAero) in 2025 during the sixth edition of the programme and has been selected for the seventh edition, within the Consolidation phase.
The company is dedicated to developing pioneering Orbital Telescopes for small satellites and nanosatellites, based on its own architecture of high-precision, low-weight optical mirrors. This innovative technology speeds up manufacturing processes, significantly reduces the weight and cost of optical systems, and facilitates their integration into scalable space platforms, with particular applications in Earth observation and space optical communications.
During 2025, SLIMOP Space has registered three technology patents, with a fourth in preparation, and has validated ultralight mirror subsystems in the laboratory at TRL5 level, a milestone that reinforces the maturity of its solution and its capacity for future demonstrations in orbit.
SLIMOP Space’s growth has been made possible thanks to the first round of pre-seed funding completed in 2025, in which the company brought in private investors specialising in the aerospace sector, who also contribute strategic management expertise. This private funding has been complemented by the support of various European, national and regional public bodies and programmes, including the European Space Agency (ESA), through the ESA BIC Barcelona programme, the Ministry of Industry and Tourism through ENISA, the Generalitat de Catalunya through ACCIÓ and the Startup Capital programme, as well as the Xunta de Galicia, with the support of GAIN, IGAPE and XesGalicia, in addition to the Business Factory Aero (BFAero) programme itself as an initiative to promote consolidated projects in the aerospace sector.
In total, more than €700,000 in capital resources have driven this first phase of R&D since the company was founded three years ago. SLIMOP Space is currently immersed in the preparation and closing of a new seed round that will enable it to consolidate its strategic plan for the period 2026-2028 and consolidate the technical specifications necessary for its leap into space.
BFAero: driving aerospace innovation
SLIMOP Space is embarking on this new phase with the aim of positioning itself as a benchmark in advanced optical solutions for space platforms, contributing to the development of efficient and competitive constellations in global markets. Its participation in BFAero and the solid institutional support it has received highlight not only the quality of the project, but also the role of the accelerator as key platform for promoting technology start-ups in strategic sectors with high technological demands.
The company integrated into Business Factory Aero (BFAero), Vig-Sec Drone, has successfully closed a one-million-euro investment round, a key milestone that will enable it to boost its business plans, accelerate the automation of its technology and strengthen its international expansion.
This progress reflects not only the strength of the Vig-Sec Drone project, but also the value of BFAero as a platform that facilitates startups’ access to public and private investment entities, connecting talent, technology and capital to accelerate their market entry.
A mature technology, validated in real operations
Vig-Sec Drone specialises in advanced airspace management and the secure integration of drones in critical environments, both civilian and military. Its Suite ACRE (Restricted Emergency Control Area) solution is a dual-use Emergency UTM system capable of monitoring and reconfiguring airspace in real time, integrating manned aircraft, drones and land or maritime sensors within a single operational environment.
The company’s technology has already been validated in real, highly demanding scenarios, achieving unprecedented milestones in Spain, such as coordinating drones with helicopters from the Ministry of Defence in critical missions. In addition, it has taken part in multinational exercises in Slovakia together with BRILAT, demonstrating the interoperability of its platform in allied environments, and has been selected for the ATLAS 25 exercise as one of the companies responsible for the simultaneous management of manned and unmanned aircraft.
Artificial intelligence and international expansion
Thanks to this investment round, Vig-Sec Drone will drive a new development phase focused on incorporating onboard artificial intelligence aimed at anticipating airspace conflicts, optimising routes and resolving risk situations in real time. All of this will be carried out under a ‘man in the loop’ model, which guarantees human supervision, traceability and operational rigour in critical missions.
The company will continue to align its platform with NATOand EASAstandards, a key step to facilitate its adoption in European and allied ecosystems, and will take part in the Force 2035 programme, which evaluates the technologies that will define the future operational landscape of Defence.
BFAero: connecting innovation and funding
With headquarters in Lugo and Nigrán, and growth that has taken it from two founders in 2022 to more than 17 professionals, Vig-Sec Drone faces this new stage with the aim of becoming a global standard for secure airspace management.
This achievement highlights the role of Business Factory Aero as a driving innovation ecosystem, supporting projects not only in their technological development, but also in access to strategic funding, which is key to scaling up, consolidating business models and competing in highly demanding international markets.
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