Raphael Roettgen is one of the few VCs who has built a global, multi-language content and education platform around space business—authoring an introductory book on the new space economy and related courses, and using these as on-ramps for new founders and investors into the sector. He is a recognized specialist and early advocate of in-space manufacturing, frequently publishing, teaching, and speaking about how microgravity-enabled manufacturing can unlock differentiated materials and biologics, giving him a distinctive thesis and network in a niche that many generalist space investors only touch lightly.

• Prioritizing investments in space manufacturing and biotechnology research. Actively seeking to connect with founders building in these areas because dropping costs for bringing cargo back to Earth will make microgravity development highly viable. A strong example of this thesis is the current backing of startups that are developing artificial retinas and biological organoids in microgravity.
• Tracking financial liquidity events and public market debuts across the aerospace sector to gauge industry health. Closely monitoring major financial shifts like anticipated SpaceX public offerings and comparing how newly public space companies are valued against private market alternatives to better understand broader economic trends.
• Advocating for rapid advancements in space communication infrastructure. Repeatedly stressing the urgent need for space lasers and optical links to improve data connectivity, and frequently highlighting the technology by interviewing founders building optical networking hardware on a dedicated space business podcast.
• Engaging the aerospace ecosystem globally through media and early stage accelerator programs. Regularly broadcasting conversations with founders about niche technical topics like space robotics while simultaneously expanding space accelerator operations in emerging markets like India to directly support new entrepreneurs.