French deeptech specialist Cailabs has raised €57 million in fresh funding to accelerate its industrial expansion and cement its position as a global leader in laser communications.
The financing round, announced in Rennes today, was led by the European Investment Bank (EIB), which contributed €37 million, alongside €20 million from investors including Definvest and Fonds Innovation Defense (the French Armed Forces ministry and Bpifrance), NewSpace Capital, the European Innovation Council Fund, Starquest Capital, and CAIVE (Crédit Agricole Ille-et-Vilaine Expansion).
Jean-François Morizur, co-founder and CEO of Cailabs, said the deal was a “significant milestone” that would allow the company to strengthen supply chains, ramp up production and accelerate its international strategy.
“This funding round reflects our solid fundamentals and the confidence investors have in our strategic vision. It enables us to scale up industrial capabilities and prepare for the next stage of growth.”
Cailabs, founded in 2013, designs and manufactures advanced photonic solutions across sectors including space, telecoms, defence and industry. It has emerged as one of Europe’s most advanced players in optical ground stations (OGS), with more than 10 already under contract.
The new financing will allow the company to produce up to 50 OGS per year by 2027, supported by a new industrial platform capable of assembling and validating up to five stations in parallel.
The firm is also investing in its product portfolio, including turnkey 100+Gbps laser communication solutions, transportable OGS, and expanded orbit options, as well as expanding its footprint overseas. It recently opened a larger US office, announced with the Governor of Virginia, after securing major overseas contracts.
Cailabs’ technology has drawn interest not only for its commercial potential but also for its strategic importance to Europe.
Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President at the EIB, said: “Space technologies are increasingly important for civilian use as well as for security and defence. As the bank of the EU, the EIB supports Cailabs’ investments in manufacturing capabilities and R&D of its laser communication technologies. The project is fully aligned with our TechEU strategic priorities.”
Other backers underlined the sovereignty implications of optical communications. Nicolas Berdou, Director of Investments at Fonds Innovation Defense, described Cailabs’ solutions as “of strategic importance for France’s sovereignty in defence and space”.
Daniel Biedermann, Partner at NewSpace Capital, added that the shift to optical communications was creating “significant growth in the space sector, with an ever-increasing impact for mission-critical applications and daily life”.
Cailabs has become one of the first companies capable of harnessing atmospheric turbulence compensation to enable fast, reliable, and low-latency data links between space and terrestrial networks.
The new funding, executives said, will not only scale this technology globally but also allow the company to reinforce its leadership in deeptech at a time when Europe is stepping up investment in space and defence technologies.
Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board, said: “Supporting disruptive innovators like Cailabs is essential to strengthening Europe’s competitiveness in deeptech.”
Starquest Capital’s Arnaud Delattre added: “Cailabs has cracked the US market and outperformed local industry leaders. Continuing to support such a unique deeptech company was a no-brainer decision.”
