Open Cosmos acquires Connected in strategic push for European space sector sovereignty
Open Cosmos acquires Connected in strategic push for European space sector sovereignty
Open Cosmos, a company based at UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto that develops, builds, and operates complete satellite missions, has just acquired Connected, a startup also incubated at UPTEC that is revolutionising IoT connectivity from space. The acquisition amount has not been disclosed, but Open Cosmos is thus strengthening its presence in Portugal and accelerating Europe’s technological sovereignty in the space sector.
Founded in 2023 by André Guerra, Hélder Oliveira, Raquel Magalhães, and Tiago Rebelo, Connected created a proprietary space communications platform for IoT connectivity based on standard protocols such as 5G NB-IoT and mioty, drastically reducing the cost and complexity of these communications. In just two years, the startup evolved from an idea to an operational solution, launching pilots across Europe and establishing partnerships with EchoStar Mobile, Fraunhofer, and other international partners.
“Connected built in two years what other companies take five to achieve. It is one of the most competent space startups in Europe,” said Rafel Jordà, founder and CEO of Open Cosmos.
With production units in the UK, Spain, and Greece, Open Cosmos is now launching operations in Portugal, where it already has a team based at UPTEC.
This acquisition also marks one of the fastest and most successful exits in European space tech history. Connected had closed, just a few months after its founding, a pre-seed round of €2 million – the largest ever for a Portuguese space startup – with participation from Shilling VC, Iberis Capital, FundBox, Octopus Ventures, Amena Ventures, and Keith Willey.
As part of the deal, all 22 members of the Connected team have joined Open Cosmos, which has around 200 employees globally and has reported consistent profits over the last four years.
“We were closing our seed round when this opportunity arose. The offer from Open Cosmos was too aligned – in mission, culture, and ambition – to ignore. It was clear recognition of our technology and the real progress we made with limited resources, only possible thanks to the tireless dedication of our team,”
said Tiago Rebelo, former CEO of Connected and now CRO of Open Cosmos and Managing Director of the company in Portugal.
Open Cosmos plans to invest more than €50 million in Portugal over the next three years, including the launch of a new satellite factory at Instituto Pedro Nunes in Coimbra, where three Portuguese-engineered satellites will be assembled and operated from late 2025 onwards, already integrated with Connected’s technology.
With this acquisition, Open Cosmos strengthens its strategy to provide scalable and flexible space infrastructure, while Connected will now lead the IoT connectivity division, offering solutions spanning maritime, energy, logistics, smart agriculture, and more.
July 3, 2025
