Venus Aerospace Valuation, Funding & Investors

Venus Aerospace is valued at $778M as of July 2026.

Last Venus Aerospace valuation

$778M

Series B · Jul 2026

Last Venus Aerospace funding round

$91M

Series B · Jul 2026

Cumulative funding Venus Aerospace raised

$193M

across 5 funding rounds

Key investors in Venus Aerospace

  • Draper Associates
  • Prime Movers Lab
  • Alumni Ventures
  • Flybridge
  • Boost VC
  • Airbus Ventures

Venus Aerospace Overview

About Venus Aerospace

Venus Aerospace is a Houston-based aerospace company founded in 2020 by CEO Sassie Duggleby and CTO Andrew Duggleby. It develops 3D-printed rotating detonation rocket engines capable of Mach 9 speeds, aiming to enable one-hour global transport for commercial and defense applications. The company has completed engine test flights, including the world's first high-thrust test of a liquid-propellant rotating detonation rocket engine, and holds contracts with NASA and U.S. defense agencies to advance the technology.


Founded

2020

HQ

United StatesUnited States

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2C

Revenue model

Product sales

Valuation

$778M (Jul 2026)

Venus Aerospace Valuation

Venus Aerospace is currently valued at $778M, based on its Series B in July 2026.

The $91M round was led by Mercury Fund, with participation from Starboard Star Venture Capital, Prime Movers Lab, Trousdale Ventures, Airbus Ventures, Green Sands Equity and 5 other investors.

Venus Aerospace's valuation has grown 85x from $9M at its seed round in January 2021 to $778M in July 2026, across 2 priced rounds.

Venus Aerospace valuation by funding round

Venus Aerospace valuation by funding round
DateStageValuation
Jul 2026Series B$778M
Jan 2021Seed$9M

Venus Aerospace Funding History

Venus Aerospace has raised a total of $193M across 5 funding rounds.

Venus Aerospace's first fundraising round was a $3M seed round in January 2021. The most recent completed round was a $91M Series B in July 2026.

Venus Aerospace funding rounds

Venus Aerospace funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedValuationDeal Summary
Jul 2026Series BMercury Fund (lead); Starboard Star Venture Capital; Prime Movers Lab; Trousdale Ventures; Airbus Ventures; Green Sands Equity; MESH; Seraph Group; Peak 6; Draper Associates; Lockheed Martin Ventures$91M$778MVenus Aerospace closed a $91 million Series B financing round on July 8, 2026, structured as two sub-rounds: $73.67 million in Series B-1 and $17.33 million in Series B-2, both at a post-money valuation of $777.98 million. The round was led by Mercury Fund with participation from Airbus Ventures (an existing investor since June 2023), Lockheed Martin Ventures, America's Frontier Fund, Draper Associates, PEAK6, MESH, Green Sands Equity, and over 20 other strategic and institutional investors. Airbus Ventures' continued participation underscores its strategic commitment to Venus' hypersonic propulsion technology for one-hour global transport. Venus Aerospace, a Houston-based startup founded in 2020 by CEO Sassie Duggleby and CTO Andrew Duggleby, develops 3D-printed rotating detonation rocket engines capable of Mach 9 speeds for commercial space and defense applications. The company recently completed its first engine test flight and plans to ground test its VDR2 engine by end-of-year, using the $91 million to scale production for commercial and defense programs. Total funding to date is $139.53 million, with 39 investors including Texas Space Commission and Mercury Fund. Venus was selected as a 2026 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, highlighting its role in redefining hypersonic flight.
May 2026Undisclosed stage-$63M-Venus Aerospace raised $63 million in equity financing out of a total offering of approximately $100 million, as disclosed in an SEC filing. Lockheed Martin Ventures made a strategic investment in October 2025, bringing total funding to more than $106 million. Earlier rounds included $33 million, comprising a $20 million Series A led by Boeing HorizonX Ventures with Airbus Ventures and others participating. The Lockheed Martin investment accelerates breakthrough innovations in next-generation propulsion, following Venus Aerospace's May 2025 high-thrust test flight of its rotating detonation rocket engine, described as a world first. The funding supports advancement of rocket and hypersonic propulsion systems, positioning the company as a leader in capital-efficient rocket engine development. Venus Aerospace develops next-generation rocket engine propulsion, including rotating detonation rocket engines for hypersonic applications. The company operates from Houston and has executed historic test flights demonstrating propulsion advancements.
Jun 2023Undisclosed stageAirbus Ventures (lead); Alumni Ventures (lead); Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners$16M-Venus Aerospace is a Houston-based startup developing hypersonic flight technology, including the world's first liquid-propellant rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) with double-digit efficiency gains over standard engines. The company aims to enable one-hour global transport via Mach 9 drones and spacecraft, with contracts from NASA and U.S. Defense Agencies for RDRE advancement. In June 2023, Venus raised $15.9 million in a Series A-II extension led by Airbus Ventures, with participation from Alumni Ventures and others including Trousdale Ventures. This followed a $20 million Series A in Spring 2022 led by Prime Movers Lab. The funds support transitioning from lab to prototype, including long-duration engine runs at Spaceport Houston and flight testing a Mach 3 drone.
Apr 2022Series APrime Movers Lab (lead); Praxis; The Helm; Dennis Muilenburg; Trousdale Ventures; Flybridge; Saturn Five; Seraph Group; Boost VC; Cantos; Draper Associates; Tamarack Global$20M-Venus Aerospace is a Houston-based deep tech startup founded by Sarah 'Sassie' Duggleby and Dr. Andrew Duggleby, developing a Mach 9 hypersonic aircraft capable of enabling one-hour global travel for passengers using a zero-carbon emission spaceplane with rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) technology. The company focuses on breakthrough propulsion, aircraft shape, and cooling systems for both civilian and defense applications in the growing hypersonics and aerospace markets. In April 2022, Venus Aerospace closed a $20 million Series A funding round led by Prime Movers Lab, with participation from Draper Associates, Boost VC, Cantos, Saturn Five, Seraph Group, Tamarack Global, The Helm, Flybridge, Praxis, and Trousdale Ventures, bringing total financing to $33 million at that point. The funds were allocated to mature rocket engine and aircraft technologies, achieve flight and engine testing at Spaceport Houston, meet technical milestones, recruit talent to grow from 40 employees, and scale operations amid the U.S. hypersonic technology race. Venus had previously raised $3 million in seed funding a year earlier and secured government contracts, developed a tech demonstration engine, and conducted experiments at U.S. propulsion test facilities and hypersonic wind tunnels.
Jan 2021SeedPrime Movers Lab (lead); Flybridge; Alumni Ventures; Saturn Five; XFactor Ventures; Shane Neman; Boost VC; Cantos; Draper Associates$3M$9MVenus Aerospace is a Houston-based startup developing hypersonic aircraft capable of Mach 9-12 speeds to enable global travel in under an hour. The company focuses on high-speed transportation using advanced rocket engines, aircraft shapes, and cooling technologies. Venus Aerospace closed a $3 million seed funding round in March 2021 led by Prime Movers Lab, with participation from Draper Associates, Boost VC, Saturn Five, and X-Factor Ventures. This followed non-dilutive government funding and preceded a $20 million Series A in April 2022 led by Prime Movers Lab, bringing total funding to $33 million at that time. The seed round supported initial scaling from 3 to 40 employees, engine development, hypersonic wind tunnel experiments, and propulsion testing. Venus Aerospace secured government contracts, built a tech demonstration engine, and initiated ground tests at Spaceport Houston. The company has raised approximately $39.73 million across multiple rounds as of 2025.

Who has invested in Venus Aerospace?

23 investors have backed Venus Aerospace across its funding rounds, including Draper Associates, Prime Movers Lab, Alumni Ventures, Flybridge, Boost VC and Airbus Ventures.

Lead investors include Mercury Fund, Airbus Ventures, Alumni Ventures and Prime Movers Lab.


Venus Aerospace Investors

Investors in Venus Aerospace by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Prime Movers LabUnited StatesJackson, MS3LeadJan 2021
Draper AssociatesUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA3ParticipantJan 2021
Trousdale VenturesUnited StatesLos Angeles, CA2ParticipantApr 2022
Airbus VenturesUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2LeadJun 2023
FlybridgeUnited StatesNew York City, NY2ParticipantJan 2021
Alumni VenturesUnited StatesUnited States2LeadJan 2021
Saturn FiveUnited StatesAustin, TX2ParticipantJan 2021
Seraph GroupUnited StatesAlpharetta, GA2ParticipantApr 2022
Boost VCUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2ParticipantJan 2021
CantosUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2ParticipantJan 2021
PraxisUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantApr 2022
The HelmUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantApr 2022
Dennis MuilenburgUnited StatesChicago, IL1ParticipantApr 2022

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Venus Aerospace Competitors

Venus Aerospace competitors include listed companies like Droneshield and Merlin, and private ones like Hermeus, JetZero, True Anomaly and Zero Gravity Aircraft Industry.

Public and private companies comparable to Venus Aerospace
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
HermeusUnited StatesAtlanta, GAPrivate--$1B-
JetZeroUnited StatesLos Angeles, CAPrivate--$1.6B-
True AnomalyUnited StatesDenver, COPrivate--$2.2B-
DroneshieldAustraliaAustraliaPublicly listed$154M$3M$1.1B5.8x
MerlinUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$1M($52M)$208M23.3x
Zero Gravity Aircraft IndustryChinaHefeiPrivate--$630M-

Venus Aerospace Public Comps

Venus Aerospace is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Kodiak AI, Elsight, Bjsasc, ShinMaywa Industries, Creotech Instruments, Elmet Group, Park Aerospace, BlackSky, QPS Holdings and Robosense.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Kodiak AI$4M($577M)233.9x98.7x(1.5x)(6.6x)
Elsight$23M$6M30.7x15.3x117.5x34.5x
Bjsasc$181M$6M3.5x-113.7x-
ShinMaywa Industries$1.8B$146M0.5x0.5x6.4x-
Creotech Instruments$38M$10M17.3x10.7x63.5x51.0x
Elmet Group$202M$6M3.1x2.7x110.3x21.6x
Park Aerospace$73M$15M7.8x7.2x37.4x32.3x
BlackSky$107M($28M)8.6x7.0x(32.8x)68.0x

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Common questions about Venus Aerospace

When was Venus Aerospace founded?Venus Aerospace was founded in 2020.
Where is Venus Aerospace headquartered?Venus Aerospace is headquartered in United States.
Is Venus Aerospace publicly listed?No, Venus Aerospace is a private, VC-backed company.
What is Venus Aerospace's valuation?Venus Aerospace was last valued at $778M in its Series B in July 2026.
How much funding has Venus Aerospace raised?Venus Aerospace has raised $193M across 5 funding rounds.
What was Venus Aerospace's last funding round?Venus Aerospace's last funding round was a $91M Series B in July 2026, led by Mercury Fund.
Who are Venus Aerospace's investors?Venus Aerospace's investors include Prime Movers Lab, Draper Associates, Trousdale Ventures, Airbus Ventures, Flybridge, Alumni Ventures, Saturn Five, Seraph Group, Boost VC, Cantos and 13 others.
Which companies are comparable to Venus Aerospace?Companies comparable to Venus Aerospace include Hermeus, JetZero, True Anomaly, Droneshield, Merlin and Zero Gravity Aircraft Industry.

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