ARQIS has advised SkyFive AG on its Series A investment round led by Safran Corporate Ventures together with STAR Capital, a European private equity fund manager with a track record of developing emerging infrastructure businesses.
This is the first equity interest acquired in Germany by Safran Corporate Ventures, the venture capital arm of Safran which is one of the largest suppliers of aircraft systems globally.
SkyFive with its seat on the AIRBUS Campus in Taufkirchen close to Munich provides true broadband connectivity services and technology to airlines and other aircraft operators in key aviation markets worldwide, based on its patented Air-To-Ground (A2G) solution that leverages standard mobile network components.
“This successful 1st Closing of our Series A funding round – during the height of the Covid pandemic – is a strong endorsement of SkyFive’s technological leadership and its significant market opportunity. Jointly, we foresee that aviation digitalisation will accelerate after the pandemic, with our true broadband in-flight connectivity becoming a strategic cornerstone for the entire industry,” says Thorsten Robrecht, CEO at SkyFive.
ARQIS advised SkyFive right from the start with the acquisition of the core assets of the Air-to-Ground (A2G) business division by way of an MBO from Nokia in 2019. The Munich team around Dr. Mauritz von Einem and Prof Dr Christoph von Einem later managed the following two financing rounds and the conversion of SkyFive into a stock corporation in summer 2020. Currently the preparations for the 2nd Closing of Series A as well as the ramp-up of SkyFive`s China subsidiary are ongoing.
