sandra-budimir
Co-founder of Expansion, the pan-European Aerospace & Defence VC fund; co-founder of Starburst, the world's first business accelerator dedicated to aerospace and defense startups.
Sandra Budimir is a General Partner and co-founder of Expansion, a pan-European fund backing aerospace and defense startups from seed through Series B. She is best known as co-founder of Starburst Accelerator, launched in 2012 with Francois Chopard as the world's first accelerator dedicated to aerospace and defense; as Partner for Starburst Europe she helped grow it to eight global offices and over 10,000 engaged startups. Previously she spent about a decade at Capgemini Engineering working with aerospace and defense clients in France, Germany, and Brazil, and holds a degree from KEDGE Business School plus IHEDN's 2017 national defense policy session. In June 2026 she was named President of EOS Technologie, a French ISR/ISTAR drone maker near Grenoble.
Overview
- Role
- General Partner & Co-Founder
- Based in
- Paris, France
- Prior experience
Companies0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- Who is sandra-budimir?
- Sandra Budimir is a General Partner and co-founder of Expansion, a pan-European fund backing aerospace and defense startups from seed through Series B. She is best known as co-founder of Starburst Accelerator, launched in 2012 with Francois Chopard as the world's first accelerator dedicated to aerospace and defense; as Partner for Starburst Europe she helped grow it to eight global offices and over 10,000 engaged startups. Previously she spent about a decade at Capgemini Engineering working with aerospace and defense clients in France, Germany, and Brazil, and holds a degree from KEDGE Business School plus IHEDN's 2017 national defense policy session. In June 2026 she was named President of EOS Technologie, a French ISR/ISTAR drone maker near Grenoble.
- What is sandra-budimir's role?
- sandra-budimir is General Partner & Co-Founder, based in Paris, France.
Tags
Sources & citations7
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- 1
Sandra Budimir co-founded Starburst Accelerator in 2012 with Francois Chopard; under her leadership as Partner for Starburst Europe, Starburst expanded to eight global offices and has engaged over 10,000 startups.
Wombat (Women in Combat): Sandra Budimir - WombatReported2026-08-12 - 2
Before Starburst, Sandra Budimir spent roughly a decade at Capgemini Engineering working with aerospace and defense clients in France, Germany, and Brazil, and graduated from KEDGE Business School in Marseille.
Wombat (Women in Combat): Sandra Budimir - WombatReported2026-08-12 - 3
Sandra Budimir co-founded Expansion Ventures alongside Charles Beigbeder, Ted Elvhage, and Ulf Palmnas; she is a General Partner of the fund.
Actuia: Audacia and Starburst announce the launch of Expansion, a new investment fund dedicated to aerospace and defense start-upsVerified2022-04-12 - 4
Sandra Budimir has held the title of Directeur general (General Director) of Expansion Ventures per French corporate registry filings since July 6, 2024.
Verif.com: Sandra BUDIMIR - Dirigeant de EXPANSION VENTURESReported2026-08-12 - 5
Expansion Ventures completed a first closing of 137 million euros in December 2024, strengthening its position as a leading investor in European Sustainable Aerospace and Defence.
GlobeNewswire (Audacia press release): AUDACIA: Expansion Ventures completes its first closing amounting to 137 million euros, strengthening its position as a leading investor in European Sustainable Aerospace and DefenceVerified2024-12-27 - 6
In June 2026, Sandra Budimir was appointed President of EOS Technologie, a French fixed-wing ISR/ISTAR drone manufacturer based near Grenoble, succeeding Jean-Marc Zuliani.
AeroMorning: Sandra Budimir appointed President of EOS TechnologieReported2026-06-11 - 7
In 2017, Sandra Budimir was selected for the Defense national defense policy stream of France's IHEDN (Institut des hautes etudes de defense nationale).
Wombat (Women in Combat): Sandra Budimir - WombatReported2026-08-12