Involve Space reaches €3 million in funding and begins its international growth phase

Involve Space reaches €3 million in funding and begins its international growth phase

Smart&Start Italia funding enables the Como-based startup to enter the US market and consolidates its trajectory of innovation in the aerospace sector.

Como, January 8, 2026 - Involve Space, an Italian startup at the forefront of the international stratospheric balloon technology scene, announces the strengthening of its fundraising to a total of €3 million. This growth has been fueled by €1 million in new financing obtained through the Smart&Start Italia incentive program, managed by Invitalia and promoted by the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, which supports innovative startups and SMEs selected on the basis of product innovation, solidity, sustainability, and economic feasibility.

This strengthening of Involve Space's fundraising comes on top of the success of the €2 million seed round closed in September 2024, led by Earlybird Venture Capital, one of Europe's leading VCs, with the participation of CDP Venture Capital and TLI Space. The company has also completed the CASSINI Business Accelerator, a European Commission acceleration and funding program dedicated to companies with the potential to transform the space industry.

Operating in the Como aerospace district since 2021, the company has already successfully completed 30 commercial missions and is fully operational on the market. The new capital will be used for the further development of the Stratostats® and Stratorelay® platforms, with the aim of increasing flight duration, optimizing artificial intelligence-based control systems, and expanding payload capacity.

In parallel, Involve Space is accelerating its international expansion, with a strong focus on the U.S. market. With the support of the European Innowwide program, the company will open an operational base in Houston in the first half of 2026, working with Business Development Partners Courtney Stadd, former NASA Associate Deputy Administrator and former Director of Commercial Space Transportation at the White House, and Salvatore Grignano, former Director of the Italian Trade Agency office in Houston.

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Involve Space is led by CEO and Chairman Jonathan Polotto, founder and creator of the company’s proprietary technologies and systems, alongside co-founder Claudio Piazzai, who serves as Executive President and Chief Strategy Officer. The company’s leadership team also includes prominent figures from the aerospace sector, such as Alastair Westgarth, former CEO of Google’s Project Loon and member of the Board of Directors, and astronaut Paolo Nespoli, who sits on the Advisory Board.

With this new milestone, Involve Space reaffirms its ambition to lead the stratospheric balloon technology sector and continues its growth journey with an increasingly global outlook.Announcing the new capitalization, Involve Space CEO Jonathan Polotto stated:

“Thanks to this achievement, we are strengthening our innovation potential and reaching our strategic fundraising objective, which in 2026 will enable Involve Space to take on the challenge of international markets, bringing stratospheric balloon technology and the excellence of the Italian space industry to the center of the new global space economy.”

About Involve Space

Involve Space is an Italian startup active in stratospheric balloon technology, focused on developing innovative platforms for Earth observation, telecommunications, and research. Founded in Como in 2021 by Jonathan Polotto and Claudio Piazzai, the company has completed numerous commercial missions and introduced proprietary solutions such as Stratostats® and Stratorelay®. These platforms enable Earth observation applications aligned with satellite standards and, in some respects, capable of delivering higher levels of precision and timeliness. Supported by international investors and European development programs, Involve Space combines economic growth with social responsibility, pursuing an accessible, low environmental impact innovation model with global expansion ambitions. Involve Space is a certified B Corporation.

For information and interview requests:‍

paola.v@involvespace.eu