Austrian spacetech startup Tumbleweed has secured €6.9 million in a seed funding round, marking the largest such investment in the country's history. The round was led by PactVC, with participation from Vanagon Ventures, Prototype Capital, EWOR, and other international investors.
Founded in 2024 by Julian Rothenbuchner, Guillaume Brault, and Leonhard Goliasch, the company operates between Vienna and Delft. The capital will support three upcoming launches scheduled for 2027, aimed at serving over 10 customers across the medical, biotech, and agritech sectors.
Tumbleweed provides pre-certified, fault-isolated containers called Pods to simplify spaceflight access. The company claims its service is five times faster and 10 times cheaper than similar ISS experiments, with mission costs starting at €15,000.
The startup successfully launched its first commercial satellite, Oasis Alpha, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 on July 7. While currently dependent on SpaceX, Tumbleweed has signed a memorandum of understanding with SIRIUS Space Services to test Pod compatibility for future missions.
