Caixa Capital Risc invests in zero2infinity

The value of the round was more than €1m; private investors also participated. La Caixa invested via its Caixa Capital Semilla fund.

After a direct approach from the company, Caixa Capital Risc was attracted by zero2infinity's status as the only operator in the space tourism space in Spain. It expects to invest further in the firm, provided it develops as anticipated.

The business plans to do the first human test flight of its Bloon hot air balloon in 2012.

In 2010, zero2infinity received seed funding from balloon manufacturer Ultramagic.

Company
zero2infinity is developing a hot air balloon known as Bloon which it hopes will serve as an alternative to shuttles for tourists who want to travel into space. Though the technology will not be ready before 2013, seats can be pre-booked for around €110,000.

The Barcelona-based company, which employs four people, aims for space travel to become more accessible to the public. It was founded in 2009.

People
Members of La Caixa's TIME (Telecommunications, Internet, Media and Entertainment) team worked on the deal for Caixa Capital Risc, which is headed up by general manager Carlos Trenchs. José Mariano López-Urdiales is the founder of zero2infinity.

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