Raven Space Systems

We're excited to announce the closing of our oversubscribed $2M Pre-seed round led by Backswing Ventures with participation from 46 Venture Capital , Mana Ventures, What If Ventures, and Cape Fear Ventures! In addition to the tremendous support we've received from AFWERX, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and National Science Foundation (NSF), this funding will help accelerate our development of Microwave Assisted Deposition (MAD) 3D printing production lines to solve critical supply chain issues for thermal protection and lightweight structures across the aerospace and defense industry. Read more in the article below! Aria Alamalhodaei | TechCrunch https://lnkd.in/g_S7vHp8

We are honored to announce that Raven Space Systems has been awarded an STTR Phase II contract with AFWERX worth $1,800,000 focused on developing 3D printed reentry aeroshells for hypersonic flight testing. This contract will advance Raven’s breakthrough Microwave Assisted Deposition (MAD) 3D printing of aerospace-grade thermoset composites for thermal protection and lightweight structures to address a critical need for the Department of the United States Air Force.    Raven will leverage the expertise and capabilities of our experienced partners including the RED-Data reentry systems provided by SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. (SEI) and the state-of-the-art thermal protection testing facilities at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Thank you AFWERX and Air Force Research Laboratory for this opportunity to develop an innovative solution for the defense industry. _____ The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

*LaunchKC Startup Spotlight* Raven Space Systems is modernizing composite manufacturing with a breakthrough 3D printing innovation known as Microwave Assisted Deposition (MAD) 3D printing.   Raven was founded by Blake Herren and Ryan Cowdrey. "My favorite part of the LaunchKC experience was the Innovation Lounge where we engaged with several potential stakeholders around KC," said Blake. "LaunchKC has provided us with impactful funding, a flexible space in the West Bottoms that we love, and a network that has helped us take our technology to the next level."

We are pleased to share that Raven Space Systems has been awarded a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Phase I SBIR grant for $275k to conduct R&D on 3D printing of high-temperature composite materials using Raven's patented Microwave Assisted Deposition (MAD) technology. Through this award Raven becomes eligible to apply for Phase II funding and additional supplements totaling up to $2 million.

Brought to you by Raven Space Systems and Rubicon Space Systems, this month's FOV is live! Be sure to check out this month's Stealth Spotlight, Tracked DoD / Civil Opportunities as well as Force Multipliers including Star Catcher, SmallSat Alliance, ARIANESPACE, Max Space, D-Orbit, Armada, First In and more. #spaceeconomy #startups #emergingtrends #venturecapital https://lnkd.in/gyTJTeHR

We are excited to announce our ongoing AFWERX Phase I STTR focused on developing Mach3D: entirely 3D printed testbeds for frequent, affordable, & versatile hypersonic flight testing. Mach3D will provide a unique solution for flight testing thermal protection materials, electronics, and other experiments to accelerate the development of U.S. hypersonic technologies. Our breakthrough Microwave Assisted Deposition (MAD) 3D printing innovation unlocks scalable 3D printing of thermoset and ceramic composites including high-strength heat shields that make advanced capabilities like Mach3D possible. Mach3D is adaptable to any mission such as rapid, low-cost kinetic launch on Longshot Space Technologies Corporation's space-gun or surviving the most extreme environments including Mach 25+ reentry from space. Mach3D is barely scratching the surface of what MAD 3D printing can do. #afwerx #sbir #hypersonics #space #3dprinting

2023 was a great year at Raven on both the technical & business side as we: ⚙ Advanced our MAD 3D printing innovation to create our largest parts yet, using materials that can survive reentry from space 🔬 3D printed several aerospace-grade thermoset composite materials for the first time ever 🔥 Demonstrated the high performance of MAD 3D printed ablative composites at NASA Ames Research Center's Arc Jet Complex and the Center for Hypersonics and Entry Systems Studies 💥 Launched a 3D printed high-strength heat shield projectile out of Longshot Space Technologies Corporation's kinetic launcher at Mach 2 speeds 🛰 Completed the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Space Accelerator and NSIN - National Security Innovation Network Vector programs 🏢 Started working with Creative Destruction Lab Space and Capital Factory 💸 Won LaunchKC grant funding + free workspace in KCMO 👨🏫 Pitched at SXSW 🤝 Built relationships with several customers, mentors, and other founders Big things are coming in 2024 as we: 🚀 Develop our hypersonic flight testbed concept through an AFWERX Phase I STTR ☄ Research 3D printing new heat shield materials through a National Science Foundation (NSF) Phase I SBIR 🔧 Build our multi-axis 3D printer MVP capable of printing large high-quality parts Huge thanks and a happy new year to everyone in our network who has helped us get to where we are! In 2024, we are VERY excited to build our industrial-scale MAD 3D printer MVP and prove to the aerospace & defense industry what our breakthrough composite manufacturing innovation can do.