UNIVITY, a Paris-based operator of space-based connectivity services, announced the closing of a €27 million Series A funding round in order to complete its VLEO 5G demonstration programme, develop its telecom operator offering, strengthen its teams, and prepare for industrial and commercial scale-up from 2028.
The round was raised by Blast, Expansion, and the Deeptech 2030 fund managed on behalf of the French State by Bpifrance as part of France 2030, alongside two family offices. This follows a September 2025 €31 million raise – as reported by EU-Startups.
Charles Delfieux, Founder and CEO of UNIVITY, says: “We are building the reference space infrastructure designed for telecom operators, covering the full range of connectivity needs – from ultra-high-speed broadband to direct-to-smartphone connectivity. The convergence between terrestrial and space networks is inevitable. Our ambition is to enable operators to leverage space as a natural extension of their terrestrial 5G networks, combining performance, competitiveness, and sovereignty.”
Within the context of space and adjacent infrastructure funding, the closest benchmarks for UNIVITY are
- Spain: Sateliot in Barcelona, which launched a €100 million Series C to deploy a 16-satellite 5G constellation and support global commercial execution; PLD Space in Elche, which added a €30 million EIB loan to complete MIURA 5 development and expand industrial and launch capacity; and Arkadia Space in Castellón, which secured €14.5 million to commercialise green propulsion systems.
- SWISSto12 in Lausanne, which secured €73 million to develop its compact telecom satellite HummingSat
- SatVu in London, which raised €34 million to scale a multi-satellite constellation
- AIRMO in Berlin and Luxembourg, which raised €5 million to launch its first satellite mission and expand airborne monitoring.
Taken together, those comparator announcements amount to over €256 million, or about €283 million including UNIVITY’s raise, indicating that substantial capital is still flowing into European space infrastructure across connectivity, satellites, launch, propulsion and orbital services; in this narrow 2026 comparator set, none of the closest peers is France-based, so there is no same-country match to call out here. EU-Startups has, however, covered UNIVITY before, reporting in September 2025 that the Paris-based company secured €31 million in strategic France 2030 funding to support its space-based 5G constellation.
Stéphane Lefevre-Sauli, Senior Investment Director at Bpifrance, adds: “We are delighted to continue supporting UNIVITY, whose globally impactful innovations in VLEO and 5G NTN spectrum are critical to enabling telecom operators to remain competitive and independent in the space connectivity market. This investment fully addresses national and European sovereignty challenges in connectivity, which are at the core of our investment thesis.”
Founded in 2022, UNIVITY develops a wholesale space infrastructure enabling telecom operators to provide high-speed, low-latency internet access from space directly to their customers, complementing terrestrial networks.
Through Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) satellites and the use of telecom operators’ 5G spectrum, the company reportedly delivers a high-performance, affordable, and sustainable solution, designed for both broadband and Direct-to-Cell markets.
Today’s funding will enable the company to:
- Complete execution of its uniShape VLEO 5G demonstration programme, which aims to demonstrate the performance of its high-speed, low-latency VLEO connectivity service, based on breakthrough innovations across multiple domains
- Develop a uniquely positioned offering for telecom operators in the market
- Strengthen and structure its teams
- Prepare for industrial and commercial scale-up from 2028
UNIVITY explains that they offer telecom operators a solution to sovereignty challenges – enabling them to retain strategic control over their space-based connectivity services.
As terrestrial and space networks converge, a global market expected to reach several tens of billions of euros by 2030 is emerging, with telecom operators seeking to preserve their central role against vertically integrated models from new entrants.
UNIVITY’s strategy is built on two core technological pilars.
- First, its positioning in VLEO, enabling significantly lower latency, improved performance – including smartphones and connected vehicles – and rapid natural atmospheric disintegration at the end of satellites’ life, contributing to orbital sustainability.
- Second, the use of telecom operators’ 5G spectrum, ensuring native integration with existing mobile networks and enabling for seamless 5G NTN service continuity, without relying on frequency bands already saturated or pre-empted by new entrants.
The company aims to place telecom operators back at the centre of the value chain by developing a shared, neutral space infrastructure that they can commercialise themselves s just as they do today with terrestrial networks.
Charles Beigbeder, co-founder of Expansion, says: “UNIVITY represents an exceptional opportunity to support a breakthrough innovation that is rethinking space connectivity infrastructure. With this Series A, we are strengthening our commitment to enabling telecom operators to capture this strategic market while addressing the challenges of sustainable space usage.”
This Series A will support the execution of the uniShape programme, the first VLEO-based 5G NTN demonstrator, developed with the support of CNES. Two VLEO 5G satellites will be assembled, integrated, tested, and operated in orbit to validate an end-to-end high-throughput 5G NTN service, as well as Direct-to-Cell smartphone connectivity – from ground gateways to end-user devices.
This demonstrator will reportedly be a world first and a key milestone toward the deployment of the commercial uniSky constellation. It will demonstrate full interoperability between terrestrial and space networks within a controlled convergence framework.
Beyond the demonstrator, this funding round also marks a new phase of development: the transition to industrial and commercial scale. The company is strengthening its teams in engineering, industrialization and business development to prepare for the next phase, set to begin in 2028.
Anthony Bourbon, Founder of Blast Club, states: “UNIVITY is not just innovating – it is redefining the architecture of global communications. By positioning space as the natural extension of terrestrial networks, the company is already establishing itself as a pivotal player in the sector. At Blast, we support those who have the boldness and operational excellence required to build the industrial champions of tomorrow.”
Furthermore, through this funding round and with the support of CNES, UNIVITY says they are accelerating the development of a competitive space infrastructure designed to complement fiber and cellular networks, extend connectivity to rural and remote areas, strengthen the resilience of critical networks, and restore operators’ control over their space-based expansion.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/04/spacetech-startup-univity-raises-e27-million-to-position-europe-as-a-key-player-in-global-hybrid-connectivity/
