NewSpaceVision #47: The Capital Behind the Space Race (feat. Filip Kocian, Investor at Expansion)
11 snips
Jan 29, 2026 Filip Kocian, investor at Expansion focused on space, aerospace and defense, and author on space finance. He unpacks how capital builds European space sovereignty. He discusses what makes space startups investable, the divide between Europe and the US, dual-use defense dynamics, and where the next generation of winners will emerge.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Filip's Cold Email Internship Launched His Space Career
- Filip entered space by cold-emailing a Czech space company and taking an intern role in 2018, then built operating and investing experience before joining Expansion.
- He later co-founded a small vehicle and in 2022 met Expansion partners over lunch leading to his current role.
Value Comes From Software-Defined Hardware
- The most valuable space offerings combine hardware with software — "software-defined hardware" extracts more value per kilogram.
- Filip evaluates companies by how much value they can extract from mass through real-time software control of sensors and platforms.
Launch Winners Must Master Execution At Scale
- Launch faces a supply-demand paradox: lots of capital funds new launchers but clients still need more reliable providers and cadence.
- Winners will not only fly once but achieve operational efficiency and amortize fixed launch costs across many missions.