Key Takeaways
- Varda Space Industries Series C fundraiser raised $187 million.
- Trailblazing commercial low Earth orbit drug manufacturing.
- Varda’s W-Series provides a testbed for both pharmaceutical developments and supersonic technology.
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Varda Space Industries’ Series C Fundraiser reaches $187 Million for Medicine Creation in Space
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The company will continue to experiment with microgravity-derived experiments.
Varda Space Industries announced its Series C fundraiser for medicine creation in space has reached $187 million.
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Varda Space Industries announced its Series C fundraiser for medicine creation in space has reached $187 million. This now brings the microgravity-enabled life sciences company to a total capital of $329 million raised.1
What is the benefit of performing experiments in low-gravity situations?
Varda’s recent $187 million fundraiser was led by Natural Capital and shrug Capital, with assistance from Founders Fund, Peter Thiel, Khosla Ventures, Caffeinated Capital, Lux Capital, and Also Capital to help comprise the $187 million total.
"Over the past 15 years, many of the largest biopharma companies in the world, through research on the ISS, have shown the huge potential of microgravity. Varda is their first pathway to commercialize this work, and we're pleased to see our investors recognize that potential," said Varda President Delian Asparouhov.2
Varda launched first mission, the W-1 capsule (which made headlines for becoming the first successful commercial spacecraft to reenter and land on Earth), near Australia back in 2023. Varda has successfully completed three launch and return missions as of July 10, 2025, and currently has its fourth mission W-4 in orbit with an expected fifth mission preparing for launch by the end of 2025.
Varda is also the first to begin processing materials outside of the International Space Station, which has kickstarted commercial expansion into low orbit of Earth.
"Access to microgravity means Varda can help partners develop unique pharmaceutical formulations not otherwise possible. Varda offers a path to revolutionize the pharmaceutical industry, potentially leading to reductions in healthcare costs and better patient outcomes," said Varda CEO Will Bruey. "We have built our platform's capabilities and rapid cadence to be specifically tailored for the pharmaceutical industry, and we are excited to finally bring the value of microgravity to the masses."2
Varda considers itself a trailblazer for pharmaceutical developments in space, although the company also has several Earth-bound projects in the works. This includes the operation of a hypersonic testbed for government partners, which is focused on using the company’s W-series vehicles to further advance technologies. With each W-series vehicle reaching speeds of Mach 25, it provides a critical real-world environment for testing new technologies for spacecrafts such as, thermal productive materials, sensors, and navigation systems.
This cooperation effort was most recently seen during Varda’s W-4 mission this past June, in which the W-4 capsule had the first heatshield produced by Varda.
"Nothing is more exciting than the debut flight of a new commercial vehicle," said Varda CEO Will Bruey. "By vertically integrating, we can optimize for the flight cadence needed for our unique mission set, serving both pharmaceutical and government customers."3
Varda also remains focused on its terrestrial expansions and has opened two new facilities back on Earth: a new office in Huntsville, Alabama, and a 10,000 square foot laboratory in El Segundo. Varda’s new laboratory in El Segundo will allocate pharmaceutical scientists and structural biologics the space to develop processes of crystallizing biologics.
"Our new lab space is an investment in our belief that in-space pharmaceutical manufacturing will drive the foundation of the orbital economy," said Chief Science Officer Adrian Radocea. "By expanding, we can support work on more complex molecules and ultimately increase cadence to achieve the turnaround times the pharmaceutical industry expects."1
Sources
- Varda Announces $187 million in Series C Funding to Make Medicines in Space Varda Space Industries July 10, 2025 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/varda-announces-187-million-in-series-c-funding-to-make-medicines-in-space-302502096.html
- Varda Announces $90 million Series B Funding to Build Factories in Space Varda Space Industries April 5, 2024 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/varda-announces-90-million-series-b-funding-to-build-factories-in-space-302108949.html
- Varda Space Industries Launches W-4 with the FAA's First-Ever Reentry Vehicle Operator License and Debuts an In-House Satellite Bus Varda Space Industries June 23, 2025 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/varda-space-industries-launches-w-4-with-the-faas-first-ever-reentry-vehicle-operator-license-and-debuts-an-in-house-satellite-bus-302488811.html
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