Croatian space capsule startup Genesis raises $1.3M seed from GapMinder, Fil Rouge
What's the deal? Genesis Space Flight LaboratoriesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Croatian startup building reusable space capsules, has raised $1.3 million in a seed round. GapMinderDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — a venture capital fund active in Romania and Eastern Europe — invested alongside Fil Rouge CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2025 by microbiology researcher Bence Matyas, Genesis develops autonomous, reusable capsules for microgravity research. The platform lets research institutions, biotech companies, and commercial clients run experiments in space and safely recover physical samples back on Earth.
Why now? The International Space Station, which has supported decades of microgravity research, is due to be retired by 2030. Genesis pitches its free-flying orbital and suborbital platforms as a more flexible, accessible, and scalable alternative to station-based infrastructure.
The startup logged an early proof point in May 2026, completing its first operational atmospheric re-entry mission aboard SSC Space's RED KITE suborbital rocket. Its reusable GEN-1 capsule reached space, operated in microgravity, and was recovered, carrying biological experiments including research on Drosophila flies, plant biology studies, and DNA-preservation tests.
Where the money goes: The funding will support development of GEN-5, the company's most advanced capsule. The GEN-1 measured 5.9cm across and weighed roughly 250 grams; GEN-5 will be about 40cm in diameter and weigh some 50kg at launch, enabling more complex experiments and longer research windows through added propulsion. Further missions are scheduled for October and December.
"We showed that a small, reusable and autonomous platform can carry out complete missions in microgravity conditions, without depending on astronaut involvement or space station infrastructure," said Matyas, founder and chief executive officer of Genesis.
GapMinder partner Alexandru Ruff framed the bet on the sector's direction. "The space industry is entering a new stage, in which access to infrastructure and research capabilities beyond Earth will no longer be reserved for a small number of organisations," he said.
The signal: The round is a marked step-up over Genesis's prior funding, and it lands as investors search for commercial replacements to the ISS. For GapMinder, backing a Croatian space-hardware startup widens its Eastern European tech mandate into the emerging space economy.
Read more: Ziarul Financiar
Image credit: wbaiv
