Nebex Launches €100M Industrial Return Initiative in France
French space startups can now access global revenue opportunities tied to France's foreign space spending, creating a new sustainable business model for space with guaranteed industrial return to France.
PARIS, August 18, 2026--Nebex, the commercial exchange for the global space economy, today launched a €100M Industrial Return Initiative in France. The initiative connects French space startups with global contract opportunities while creating a new model for France to achieve 100% industrial return on cross-border space spending.
The Industrial Return Problem
Industrial return is a longstanding expectation in most national space programs. When governments invest taxpayer money in space, they expect economic benefits at home through contracts, jobs, and investment in their own space ecosystem. At the same time, many of the capabilities governments need are developed internationally, creating a challenge for countries seeking to balance global access with domestic economic value.
Government space spending reached $138 billion in 2025, according to Novaspace. As demand for space capabilities expands globally, supply remains concentrated, with more than 85% of available space supply in the U.S. and Europe. Nebex estimates this imbalance represents a $70 billion export gap annually.
"While space sovereignty is the political frame, we all know that no country reaches orbit alone. What has been missing from the space economy is a way to collaborate through competition and cooperation, without each transaction becoming a bilateral barter negotiation," said Tejpaul Bhatia, CEO of Nebex. "Every government wants access to the best technology in the world while supporting its own industrial base. Until now, those goals have often been viewed as a tradeoff. Nebex was built to create a model where countries can access global capabilities while maintaining domestic economic value. France, with its foundational role in the creation of ESA, and the institutions, infrastructure, and startup ecosystem built around that legacy, is the natural place to start."
What Nebex delivers
Nebex's Industrial Return Initiative is designed to enable France to access the best space capabilities globally while preserving economic value for the French space ecosystem.
For eligible cross-border space spending conducted through the Nebex framework, Nebex allocates an equivalent amount of commercial value for participating French space companies. This means that €1 of eligible foreign space spending can be matched by €1 of industrial return to France.