TAMPA, Fla. — French satellite antenna maker Anywaves said Dec. 8 it has raised around $3 million to help capture more business from U.S. customers.
Anywaves CEO Nicolas Capet said the funds from French investor Ylliade Groupe enable the company to accelerate sales and marketing efforts in the United States, where only 10% of its customers are currently based.
The majority of customers, about 80%, are based in Europe and the remaining 10% are from other countries including Australia and India.
“Our objective is to balance this mix,” Capet told SpaceNews via email.
Expanding in the U.S. “is important from a commercial point of view as well as from [a] historic cooperation one,” he added, pointing to France’s strategic space partnership with the country underlined during French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent trip to Washington.
After spinning out of French space agency CNES five years ago, the company raised 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) in 2019 for an antenna business focused on serving constellations of satellites.
Anywaves has so far focused on producing generic antennas in S- and X-band that are compatible with a wide range of missions.
Last year, the French manufacturer sold antennas to San Francisco-based condosat operator Loft Orbital in a deal they said marked the beginning of a “long-term partnership.”
Anywaves also has a deal to provide 100 antennas for Florida-based satellite maker Airbus OneWeb Satellites, which is expanding its customer base beyond British constellation operator OneWeb to serve other organizations, including the U.S. government.
According to Anywaves, it sold 400 products in 2022, double the amount sold in the past five years.
The company plans to increase its manufacturing facilities in 2023 and develop a broader range of payload antennas.