Rob Desborough
General Partner at Seraphim Space & Chair Seraphim Space Accelerator
Rob Desborough
General Partner at Seraphim Space & Chair Seraphim Space Accelerator
London, England
Overview
Work Experience
General Partner
2019 - Current
Seraphim is the world’s leading specialist investor in SpaceTech and Manager of the London Stock Exchange listed Seraphim Space Investment Trust Plc. Powered by smart capital from leading Space companies and government agencies, we have a unique model combining investment funds, accelerators, and an angel investor platform. Across our activities we have now supported more than 70 Spacetech companies, making us the most prolific Spacetech investment group globally. Our portfolio includes 3 companies that have IPO'd on Nasdaq / NYSE: AST SpaceMobile (Nasdaq: ASTS), ARQIT (Nasdaq:ARQQ), Spire (NYSE:SPRR) and 1 which has IPO's on the Nikkei.
Seraphim Space Accelerator - Co-Founder & Chair
2017 - 2019
Seraphim Space Accelerator is a dedicated accelerator for SpaceTech startups backed by Seraphim Space, the world’s first Venture Capital Fund dedicated to SpaceTech. The programme aims to get Seed and Pre-Series A SpaceTech companies “investment ready” and to facilitate unique corporate relationships with some of the leading Space Corporates and Agencies. The programme is led by the Seraphim Capital team bringing with it Seraphim’s wealth of experience and contacts from the industry but also includes delivery partners including: Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Cyient, Dentons, SES, European Space Agency, UK Space Agency and many more. This offers the perfect opportunity to not only prepare your business for Series A with the leading SpaceTech focused Venture fund globally, but also build relationships with some of the world’s leading corporates and SpaceTech entrepreneurs. spacecamp.vc
Investment Director
2016 - 2019
Seraphim is the world’s leading specialist investor in SpaceTech. Powered by smart capital from leading Space companies and government agencies, we have a unique model combining investment funds, accelerators, and an angel investor platform. Across our activities we have now supported more than 50 Spacetech companies, making us the most prolific Spacetech investment group globally. Our portfolio include three companies that have announced SPAC mergers to list on Nasdaq / NYSE: AST SpaceMobile (Nasdaq: ASTS), www.spire.com, and www.arqit.uk We are currently actively investing in (among others) the following areas: - Artificial Intelligence - Robotics / Automation - UAVs - Nanotechnology - Earth Observation - New Space - Internet of Things
Managing Partner
2022
Generation Space is the US division of Seraphim Space UK Group
Chair
2017
Seraphim Space Accelerator is a dedicated accelerator for SpaceTech startups backed by Seraphim Capital, the world’s first Venture Capital Fund dedicated to SpaceTech. The 91 SpaceTech startups to graduate have closed $350m in Seed Investment since June 2018. The programme aims to get Seed and Pre-Series A SpaceTech companies “investment ready” and to facilitate unique corporate relationships with some of the leading Space Corporates and Agencies. The programme is led by the Seraphim Capital team bringing with it Seraphim’s wealth of experience and contacts from the industry but also includes delivery partners including: Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Cyient, Dentons, SES, European Space Agency, UK Space Agency and many more. This offers the perfect opportunity to not only prepare your business for Series A with the leading SpaceTech focused Venture fund globally, but also build relationships with some of the world’s leading corporates and SpaceTech entrepreneurs. spacecamp.vc
Director Board Of Directors
2020
Xona Space Systems develops satellite services for positioning, navigation, and timing to support the advancement of intelligent systems.
Raised $39,424,995.00 from الياس الجبل, Murata Manufacturing, Space Capital, NGP Capital, Future Ventures, Seraphim Space, Aloniq and Industrious Ventures.
Board Director
2020
Lead Investor in Quadsat
Investor
2023
Investor
2022
Voyager Space is an aviation and aerospace company that specializes in the space exploration industry.
Raised $177,817,234.00 from Industrious Ventures, Seraphim Space, Midway Venture Partners and NewSpace Capital.
Investor
2022
Array Labs is a technology company that creates high-quality 3D imagery that is used to better understand the world.
Raised $5,600,000.00 from Y Combinator, Seraphim Space, Great Wave Ventures, Rebel Fund, BBQ Capital and TRAC.
Investor
2022
Investor
2022
Education
Bachelor’s Degree
1995 - 1999
PGDip - Post Graduate Diploma
1999 - 2000