On Wednesday, U.S.-Spanish solar aerospace technology firm Skydweller Aero, which develops solar-powered defense and commercial aircraft capable of “perpetual flight,” announced an investment by Neva Sgr, a technology venture capital fund run by Italy’s largest (and the world’s 27th largest) bank by assets, Intesa Sanpaolo Group. The investment, part of Skydweller’s oversubscribed Series A capital round announced earlier this month, was made via Neva Sgr’s “Neva First” fund, whose portfolio of 13 companies and other international funds is concentrated in ESG-driven technologies.
“We are honored and delighted to share Neva Sgr.’s participation as an investor in Skydweller’s cutting-edge technology,” said Skydweller CEO Dr. Robert Miller. “We see this partnership yielding tremendous value to the global economy, transforming the government surveillance and telecommunications markets, while contributing to the maturation and growth of the clean technology industry.”
“Skydweller has developed a unique and extraordinary technology that goes in the direction of environmental sustainability,” said Nega Sgr. CEO Mario Costantini. “We believe that the company’s business can also have positive repercussions for the economy of our country in an industrial sector that has always been strategic for Italy, with excellent growth prospects. The ability to raise investment and attract investors and industry partners worldwide in a very short time confirms Skydweller’s enormous potential to become a billion-dollar company.”
Earlier this month, Skydweller announced that its Series A funding round had raised $40 million, led by Leonardo S.p.A, Marlinspike Capital, and Advection Growth Capital. The round also marked the beginning of a strategic partnership with Palantir Technologies, a U.S.-listed enterprise data company, under which Skydweller will use Palantir’s Foundry analytics platform to process information collected by its craft.
“We see Skydweller as the next generation platform of renewably powered aircraft that can be leveraged for intelligence, telecommunications and geospatial data and more,” said President of Palantir USG and CTO for Palantir Technologies Akash Jain when the Series A round was announced earlier this month. “This partnership demonstrates Palantir’s continued investment in unlocking the world’s growing data challenges.”
