French orbital defense company extends its seed to $11m and welcomes US investor

Paris-based space company Dark has raised a $6m extension to its Seed round led by Eurazeo. The company, which is developing a reactive orbital security platform, welcomes a U.S. investor, Long Journey, known for their investments in SpaceX and Anduril, into the round.

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The $6 million funding round builds upon a successful commercial year, adding to the $5 million raised in 2021. Dark has now secured contracts worth several million dollars with the French government and its Space Agency. These contracts are directed toward future initiatives, including emergency debris removal services utilizing its Interceptor platform and new state-of-the-art propulsion advancements.

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Long Journey, a U.S.-based venture capital firm specializing in category-defining companies with transformative visions for the future. It is led by investors Lee Jacobs, Arielle Zuckerberg, and Cyan Banister. They are joining internal investors Eurazeo and Frst into this round.

 

“Anduril and SpaceX have reshaped entire industries through their bold ventures into uncharted territories. Dark, committed to advancing space security, shares this pioneering spirit as category- creators in this exciting new industry. When we first met Dark's founders and team, we immediately knew there was something magically weird about them. Their accomplishments within the European landscape have been remarkable and it highlights not only their commitment and conviction, but also their ingenuity.”

Arielle Zuckerberg, General Partner at Long Journey

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The funding will support Dark in the second phase of its development, gearing up for an orbital defense demonstration by 2026. Dark will leverage new in-house technologies, including advanced radar capabilities for space detection and orbital propulsion optimized for maneuvering large objects and controlled re-entry in the atmosphere.

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“Two years ago, we took a leap with our investment, betting on two founders with a vision to secure space. Since then, Dark’s execution has surpassed our expectations, demonstrating their capacity to develop unique technologies and capabilities. They are on a path to build a global category-defining company that will solve an existential problem for the space industry. We are very excited to double down on this round.”

Antoine Zins, Managing Director at Eurazeo

About Eurazeo

Eurazeo is a leading global investment group, with a diversified portfolio of €35 billion in Assets Under Management, including €24 billion from third parties, invested in around 600 companies. With its considerable private equity, private debt, real estate asset and infrastructure expertise, Eurazeo accompanies companies of all sizes, supporting their development through the commitment of its 400+ professionals and by offering deep sector expertise, a gateway to global markets, and a responsible and stable foothold for transformational growth. Its solid institutional and family shareholder base, robust financial structure free of structural debt, and flexible investment horizon enable Eurazeo to support its companies over the long term.

Eurazeo has offices in Paris, New York, London, Frankfurt, Berlin, Milan, Madrid, Luxembourg, Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore and Sao Paulo.
Eurazeo is listed on Euronext Paris.
ISIN: FR0-00121121 - Bloomberg- : RF FP - Reuters : EURA.PA.

Contact: Coralie Savin, Group Chief Communications Officer: csavin@eurazeo.com / Antoine Zins, Managing Director: azins@eurazeo.com 

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About Frst

Frst is a Day One VC dedicated to entrepreneurs building global-scale companies out of the French ecosystem. With €200m+ under management, Frst has invested in leading European companies such as Pigment, Poolside, Owkin, Payfit and Electra.

Contact: Bruno Raillard, co-founder & Managing Partner: bruno@frst.vc

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About Long Journey

Long Journey is an early-stage venture capital firm that believes in helping magically weird companies and founders realize their vision for the world. Long Journey has a history of being early believers in category-defining companies — collectively having invested in 40+ unicorns including SpaceX, Anduril, Uber, Notion, Deepmind, Postmates, and Loom.

Contact: Mike Wang, Head of Platform: mike@longjourney.vc