EIB leads €57 million financing round to boost Cailabs’ Optical Ground Station production and global expansion

EIB leads €57 million financing round to boost Cailabs’ Optical Ground Station production and global expansion

(IN BRIEF) The European Investment Bank (EIB) has led a €57 million financing round to accelerate the growth of Cailabs, a French photonics company specialising in Optical Ground Stations for satellite laser communications. The funding includes €37 million from the EIB, backed by InvestEU, and €20 million from investors including Bpifrance, NewSpace Capital, the European Innovation Council, Starquest Capital, and CAIVE. The financing will enable Cailabs to scale production to 50 OGS units annually by 2027, expand internationally, and advance new high-speed laser communication solutions. The announcement was made during World Space Business Week in Paris.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 15-Sep-202 — /EuropaWire/ — EIB, the European Investment Bank, has led a €57 million structured financing round to support the growth of French deep-tech company Cailabs, a pioneer in advanced photonics. The package includes a €37 million loan from the EIB, backed by the InvestEU programme, alongside an additional €20 million investment from Bpifrance (Definvest & Innovation), NewSpace Capital, the European Innovation Council (EIC), Starquest Capital, and CAIVE (Crédit Agricole Ille et Vilaine Expansion). The announcement was made during the World Space Business Week in Paris (15–19 September).

The financing will enable Cailabs to significantly expand its manufacturing capacity and invest in research and development for its Optical Ground Stations (OGS), which deliver ultra-fast laser communications for the space sector. With more than 10 OGS already under contract, the company aims to scale production to 50 units annually by 2027, supported by a new industrial platform capable of assembling and validating up to five stations simultaneously.

Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President at the European Investment Bank, commented:
“Space technologies are becoming increasingly important for both civilian and defense applications. As the EU’s bank, the EIB is proud to back Cailabs in scaling up its manufacturing and R&D in laser communications. This investment fully aligns with our TechEU priorities in security, defense, and innovation.”

Jean-François Morizur, Co-founder and CEO of Cailabs, added:
“This funding round reflects our strong fundamentals and the confidence investors place in our strategic roadmap. It will allow us to strengthen supply chains, expand production, and prepare for our next stage of growth.”

The proceeds will also boost Cailabs’ international expansion, including its recently enlarged U.S. office in Virginia and new overseas contracts. In parallel, the company will advance its portfolio with 100+Gbps turnkey solutions, transportable OGS platforms, and expanded orbit connectivity options.

Other investors highlighted the strategic importance of Cailabs’ technology:

• Nicolas Berdou, Fonds Innovation Defense & Definvest: “Cailabs’ solutions are vital for France’s sovereignty in Defense and Space.”
• Daniel Biedermann, NewSpace Capital: “We are excited to support Cailabs as optical communications become critical for both mission applications and everyday life.”
• Svetoslava Georgieva, EIC Fund: “Supporting disruptive innovators like Cailabs strengthens Europe’s competitiveness in deep tech.”
• Arnaud Delattre, Starquest Capital: “Cailabs has cracked the U.S. market and is outperforming local industry leaders — continuing to support them is an obvious decision.”

This financing marks a major milestone for Cailabs and reinforces Europe’s leadership in next-generation space communications technologies.

Background information

About EIB

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. The EIB finances investments in eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives. The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security. In France, the EIB Group signed more than 100 agreements in 2024, totalling €12.6 billion. Nearly 60% (69% in France) of annual EIB Group financing supports projects that help fight climate change and improve climate change adaptation

About InvestEU

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps to crowd in private investment for the European Union’s strategic priorities such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition.

About Cailabs

Cailabs is a global deep tech company with offices in France and the United States. Founded in 2013, it designs, manufactures, and develops photonic solutions for the space, industry, telecommunications, and defense sectors. A global specialist in laser communication, the company has accelerated its growth in the space field with turnkey optical ground stations enabled by atmospheric turbulence compensation technology. This makes it one of the first companies to harness fast, reliable, and low-latency data links across both space and terrestrial networks.

Media Contact:

Andrea Morawski
a.morawski@eib.org
+352 4379 – 83427

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SOURCE: European Investment Bank