Cailabs Secures €57M to Boost Photonics Expansion and Global Space Growth

Cailabs, a French deep-tech leader in advanced photonics, has raised €57 million in structured financing to accelerate its industrial expansion and international growth. The announcement was made during the World Space Business Week in Paris (15–19 September), underscoring the company’s growing importance in the global space and defense technology sectors.

Structured Financing Backed by Major Investors

The round combines €37 million in financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB) with a €20 million equity investment from a consortium including Bpifrance (Definvest & Innovation), NewSpace Capital, the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Starquest Capital, and CAIVE (Crédit Agricole Ille-et-Vilaine Expansion).

The EIB loan is supported by InvestEU, the European programme designed to stimulate innovation, competitiveness, and sustainability across Europe.

Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President of the EIB, highlighted the strategic significance of Cailabs’ work:

“Space technologies are increasingly important for civilian use as well as for security and defense applications. The EIB supports Cailabs’ investments in manufacturing capabilities and in research & development of its laser communication technologies. The project is fully aligned with the EIB’s strategic priorities of security, defense, and technological innovation under its TechEU programme.”

Scaling Industrial Capabilities

Cailabs specializes in laser communication technologies, crucial for enabling high-speed, secure data transmission between satellites and ground stations. With over 10 Optical Ground Stations (OGS) already under contract, the company is poised to play a decisive role in the next generation of space communications infrastructure.

The financing will allow Cailabs to:

• Scale up production capacity: Its new industrial platform can already assemble and validate five stations in parallel, with a goal of producing up to 50 OGS annually by 2027.

• Strengthen supply chains: Ensuring resilience and efficiency as demand for advanced ground-based photonics grows.

• Expand globally: Building on its strengthened presence in the U.S., including the recent opening of a larger American office announced by the Governor of Virginia, and securing major overseas contracts.

• Advance innovation: Developing turnkey 100+ Gbps solutions, transportable OGS systems, and expanded orbit compatibility to meet evolving satellite network needs.

Strategic Importance for Europe and Defense

Cailabs’ breakthrough technology has drawn strong backing from both public and private investors.

Nicolas Berdou, Director of Investments for Fonds Innovation Defense & Definvest, stressed the national significance:

“Cailabs’ solutions are of strategic importance for France’s sovereignty in Defense and Space.”

Daniel Biedermann, Partner at NewSpace Capital, noted the broader industry impact:

“We are excited to support Cailabs’ expansion at this pivotal moment for optical communications. The shift is driving significant growth in the space sector, with an ever-increasing impact for mission-critical applications and our daily lives.”

Backing Europe’s Deep-Tech Leadership

The investment also reflects Europe’s determination to maintain global leadership in deep-tech and space innovation.

Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board, underlined this point:

“Supporting disruptive innovators like Cailabs is essential to strengthening Europe’s competitiveness in deep tech.”

Arnaud Delattre, Founding Partner & CEO of Starquest Capital, praised the company’s market performance:

“Cailabs has developed a decisive technology disruption at the heart of the most dynamic Spacetech industry, and they have cracked the key U.S. market, outperforming local industry leaders. Continuing to support such a unique deep-tech company was a no-brainer for us.”

A Pivotal Moment for Cailabs

For Jean-François Morizur, Co-founder and CEO of Cailabs, this financing round validates the company’s trajectory:

“This funding round reflects our solid fundamentals and the confidence investors have in our strategic vision. It enables us to scale up industrial capabilities and prepare for the next stage of growth.”

As global demand for secure, high-capacity data transfer grows alongside satellite deployments, Cailabs’ innovations in optical communications position it as a critical enabler of Europe’s ambitions in space, defense, and connectivity.