Venus Aerospace
US rotating-detonation rocket engine developer pivoting toward defense and space propulsion.
Venus Aerospace develops Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) propulsion systems and is maturing the world's first flight-proven high-thrust RDRE into full propulsion systems. Founded in June 2020 in Houston, Texas by husband-and-wife team Sassie Duggleby (CEO) and Dr. Andrew Duggleby (CTO), both formerly of Virgin Orbit. Raised a $3M seed (March 2021) led by Prime Movers Lab with Draper Associates, Boost VC, Saturn Five, and X-Factor Ventures; a $20M Series A (April 2022) led by Prime Movers Lab with Seraph Group, Cantos, The Helm, and Tamarack Global participating; and a $91M Series B (July 2026) led by Mercury Fund with Lockheed Martin Ventures, MESH, PEAK6, Draper Associates, Starboard Star Venture Capital, Green Sands Equity, Seraph Group, and Trousdale Ventures participating. The company disclosed $33M in total funding including $1M of non-dilutive government funding as of its April 2022 Series A, and has since received cumulative SBIR/STTR awards of roughly $2M (2021-2024) for RDRE/RBCC propulsion development. Supported by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFWERX), NASA, DARPA, and the U.S. Air Force. Former NASA Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy joined the board in September 2025.
Overview
- Headquarters
- Houston, TX, United States
- Founded
- 2020
- Employees
- ~70 (72 per SBIR.gov company portfolio; ~65 per Austin American-Statesman, May 2025)
- Total funding
- $114M (announced equity: $3M seed + $20M Series A + $91M Series B)
- Stage
- Series B
- Status
- active
- Domains
- Rocket propulsion, Rotating detonation engines, Hypersonic propulsion
- Website
- www.venusaero.com
Founders2
- FounderSassie DugglebyCo-founder and CEO of Venus Aerospace. B.S. summa cum laude in Biomedical Engineering from Texas A&M and an MBA from Virginia Tech (Pamplin); previously a Launch Systems Engineer at Virgin Orbit and an executive in fiber-optics, biotech, and manufacturing startups. Board member of the Texas Space Commission and a YPO member. She and her husband Andrew left Virgin Orbit in June 2020 to found Venus Aerospace.
- FounderDr. Andrew DugglebyCo-founder and CTO of Venus Aerospace. B.S. Mechanical Engineering and B.S. Physics from Texas A&M, M.S. Mechanical Engineering from UT Austin, Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech; licensed professional engineer and Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve (Engineering Duty Officer). Previously Head of Launch Operations at Virgin Orbit, led development and hot-fire testing of a dual-mode 3D-printed rocket engine with NASA, and served on the mechanical engineering faculties of Virginia Tech and Texas A&M. He and his wife Sassie left Virgin Orbit in June 2020 to found Venus Aerospace.
Investors16
- FundPrime Movers LabVenture capital firm backing breakthrough physical-science startups; led Venus Aerospace's $3M seed (2021) and $20M Series A (2022) rounds.
- FundMercury FundEarly-stage VC investing in frontier-tech startups; led Venus Aerospace's $91M Series B (July 2026).
- FundDraper AssociatesDraper Associates is Tim Draper's early-stage venture capital firm, founded in 1985 and based in San Mateo, California.
- FundBoost VCVenture capital firm/accelerator; participated in Solideon's oversubscribed $5M+ pre-seed round (July 2024).
- FundSaturn FiveVenture capital firm; participated in Venus Aerospace's seed (2021) and Series A (2022) rounds.
- FundX-Factor VenturesVenture capital firm; participated in Venus Aerospace's $3M seed round (2021).
- FundSeraph GroupVenture capital firm; participated in Venus Aerospace's $20M Series A (2022) and $91M Series B (2026) rounds.
- FundCantos VenturesPre-seed VC backing near-frontier tech in defense, energy, and space.
- FundThe HelmVenture capital firm; participated in Venus Aerospace's $20M Series A round (2022).
- FundTamarack GlobalVenture capital firm; participated in Isembard's $50M Series A (March 2026).
- FundLockheed Martin VenturesStrategic investment arm of Lockheed Martin, investing in deep-tech pioneers.
- FundMESHLead investor in Anello Photonics' $25M Series B-2 round (May 2026).
- FundPEAK6Investment firm; participated in Venus Aerospace's $91M Series B round (July 2026).
- FundStarboard Star Venture CapitalVenture capital firm; participated in Venus Aerospace's $91M Series B round (July 2026).
- FundGreen Sands EquityVenture capital firm; participated in Venus Aerospace's $91M Series B round (July 2026).
- FundTrousdale VenturesVenture capital firm; participated in Venus Aerospace's $91M Series B round (July 2026).
Cap table0
Approximate ownership by holder. Indexed holders link to their records.
Raised per round
Percentages marked ~ are not disclosed. Some are a generic VC-pattern model (founders/team weighted heaviest, option pool lightest, other holders evenly) sized to whatever's left undisclosed — a standard industry shape, not this company's actual cap table.
| Holder | Instrument | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
| Preferred (Series B) | ~11.1% | |
| Preferred (Series B) | ~11.1% | |
| Preferred (Series B) | ~11.1% | |
| Preferred (Series B) | ~11.1% | |
| Preferred (Series B) | ~11.1% | |
| Preferred (Series B) | ~11.1% | |
| Preferred (Series B) | ~11.1% | |
| Preferred (Series B) | ~11.1% | |
| Preferred (Series B, Lead) | ~11.1% |
Programs0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- What does Venus Aerospace do?
- Venus Aerospace develops Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) propulsion systems and is maturing the world's first flight-proven high-thrust RDRE into full propulsion systems. Founded in June 2020 in Houston, Texas by husband-and-wife team Sassie Duggleby (CEO) and Dr. Andrew Duggleby (CTO), both formerly of Virgin Orbit. Raised a $3M seed (March 2021) led by Prime Movers Lab with Draper Associates, Boost VC, Saturn Five, and X-Factor Ventures; a $20M Series A (April 2022) led by Prime Movers Lab with Seraph Group, Cantos, The Helm, and Tamarack Global participating; and a $91M Series B (July 2026) led by Mercury Fund with Lockheed Martin Ventures, MESH, PEAK6, Draper Associates, Starboard Star Venture Capital, Green Sands Equity, Seraph Group, and Trousdale Ventures participating. The company disclosed $33M in total funding including $1M of non-dilutive government funding as of its April 2022 Series A, and has since received cumulative SBIR/STTR awards of roughly $2M (2021-2024) for RDRE/RBCC propulsion development. Supported by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFWERX), NASA, DARPA, and the U.S. Air Force. Former NASA Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy joined the board in September 2025.
- Where is Venus Aerospace headquartered?
- Venus Aerospace is headquartered in Houston, TX, United States and was founded in 2020.
- How much funding has Venus Aerospace raised?
- Venus Aerospace has raised $114M (announced equity: $3M seed + $20M Series A + $91M Series B) in disclosed funding.
- What does Venus Aerospace specialize in?
- Venus Aerospace works across Rocket propulsion, Rotating detonation engines, Hypersonic propulsion.
- Does Venus Aerospace hold government contracts?
- Defense Tech Atlas links Venus Aerospace to 1 government contract.
Sources & citations6
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
Raised $90-91M Series B led by Mercury Fund, with Lockheed Martin Ventures participating, July 2026
TechCrunch: Venus Aerospace raises $90M Series B to build a new kind of rocket engineVerified2026-07-08 - 2
$20M Series A led by Prime Movers Lab, April 2022
Houston Innovation Map: Venus Aerospace closes Series A round led by Prime Movers LabVerified2022-04-01 - 3
Venus Aerospace raised a $3 million seed round in March 2021 led by Prime Movers Lab, with Draper Associates, Boost VC, Saturn Five, and X-Factor Ventures participating
PR Newswire (Venus Aerospace): Venus Aerospace Closes On $3 Million In Seed FundingVerified2021-03-03 - 4
Venus Aerospace raised a $20 million Series A round in April 2022 led by Prime Movers Lab, with participation from Draper Associates, Boost, Saturn 5, Seraph Group, Cantos, The Helm, and Tamarack Global; the release discloses $33M in total funding including $1M of non-dilutive government funding
PR Newswire (Venus Aerospace): Venus Aerospace Raises $20 Million In Series A Funding Led By Prime Movers LabVerified2022-04-05 - 5
Venus Aerospace closed a $91 million Series B round on July 8, 2026 led by Mercury Fund, with participation from Lockheed Martin Ventures, MESH, PEAK6, Draper Associates, Starboard Star Venture Capital, Green Sands Equity, Seraph Group, and Trousdale Ventures
Venus Aerospace (company newsroom): Venus Aerospace Raises $91M to Mature the World's First Flight-Proven High-Thrust RDRE Into Full Propulsion SystemsVerified2026-07-08 - 6
Pamela Melroy, former NASA Deputy Administrator, joined Venus Aerospace's board of directors
Venus Aerospace (company newsroom): Venus Aerospace Appoints Former NASA Leader to Its Board of DirectorsVerified2025-09-02