MISSION

As we prepare society for our space-faring phase, we must build new tools and infrastructure across Earth & Space.

It’s time to leverage the technologies revolutionizing human life, from deep tech like generative AI to climate change intervention techniques to synthetic biology in microgravity and more, and invest in companies that bring these tools to planet-scale for the benefit of life on Earth.

Aurelia Foundry Fund invests in foundational Space tech & Earth tech that can empower humanity wherever we may find ourselves in the coming decades: on earth in challenging climates, in-orbit around our planet, or beyond.

CORE INVESTMENT AREAS

  • EXAMPLE

    • Self-assembling robotics company, with multi- functional applications for large addressable market: reconfigurable satellites, parabolic mirrors for earth and space-observing, and habitats.

    • Documented interest by several gov customers; Already flight-proven.

  • EXAMPLE

    • Unique use of microgravity environment to produce critical health products for Earth markets, that could not be made on the ground: two core products (artificial retinas; protein folding for new molecular properties).

    • Already flight-proven with non-dilutive funding from early SBIR work + insurance buyers.

  • EXAMPLE

    • Novel approach for resilient GPS in Low Earth Orbit, upgrading critical national security and day-to-day infrastructure for life on Earth, with significantly improved accuracy for mobile, edge computing + self-driving cars.

    • Experienced repeat-founder team in aerospace industry.

  • EXAMPLE

    • Incubating bio-regenerative life support systems, with key technologies for cross-over earth and space environment (e.g., aggressively energy efficient thermal systems; direct air carbon capture for scrubbing CO2).

    • Targeting both space habitats + Earth construction industry for wildfire-area safety upgrades.

*ISRU: In-Situ Resource Utilization (e.g., lunar mining); OSAM: On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing

AURELIA OVERVIEW

Aurelia Foundry builds on an MIT and in-house incubator ecosystem, and will actively build and curate companies via a venture-studio model of investment.


We will also welcome outside founders and IP spinning out of key industry skunkworks, in selecting companies that fit our investment thesis within Deep Tech Space Exploration.

Together, the Aurelia ecosystem will jumpstart humanity’s metamorphosis into a space-faring species while profoundly benefitting life on Earth.

  • Aurelia Institute is a non-profit space architecture R&D lab, education and outreach center, and policy hub dedicated to building humanity’s future in space, with cross-over technologies for climate change mitigation on Earth. This new organization was spun out of Dr. Ariel Ekblaw's research lab at the MIT Space Exploration Initiative.

  • A for-profit deep tech space fund, investing in companies that spin out of Aurelia's non-profit incubation ecosystem and in outside founders that fit our investment thesis for life in space and space infrastructure for the benefit of life on Earth.

  • Together, the two pieces form a hybrid organization whose mission is to prepare humanity to become a thriving, Earth-conscious, spacefaring species. Our aim is to develop the infrastructure, technologies, markets, and policies that will help us scale humanity’s horizons from early space stations in LEO to the fullness of a principled interplanetary civilization. We are at a critical inflection point in the space industry where major commercial investments are being made and precedents are being set at a record pace. Aurelia is moving quickly to drive and shape rigorous, accessible space exploration with strategies for long term human flourishing, while profoundly benefitting life on Earth.

All three—MIT SEI, Aurelia Institute, and Aurelia Foundry Fund are separate legal entities with separate boards/advisory groups.