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INTERSTELLAR LAB, based in Paris, France, and Los Angeles, USA, develops intelligent biospheric systems, including the BioPod, an autonomous mobile greenhouse designed for sustainable food, air, and water recycling on Earth and in space. These space-inspired technologies support botanical life autonomously, enabling food cultivation without needing foundations or water connections, requiring only a power supply. The BioPod's applications range from terrestrial sustainable agriculture to supporting human missions on Mars. The company has successfully raised $12 million in funding and maintains a team of 42 members. INTERSTELLAR LAB is currently preparing to bring the BioPod to market, with plans to build the first of five units for clients and partners and establish its initial factory in 2023. The organization was founded in 2018 by Barbara Belvisi, who also serves as its CEO.
INTERSTELLAR LAB has raised $1.5M across 2 funding rounds.
INTERSTELLAR LAB has raised $1.5M in total across 2 funding rounds.
INTERSTELLAR LAB has raised $1.5M in total across 2 funding rounds.
INTERSTELLAR LAB's investors include Richard Attias, 2.12 Angels, 50 Partners, 7percent Ventures, David Namdar, Diaspora Ventures, eFounders, Entrée Capital Ventures, Founder Institute, Kima Ventures, Rajan Anandan, #SecretFund.
INTERSTELLAR LAB has raised $1.5M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $500K Seed in September 2021.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 7, 2021 | $500K Seed | Richard Attias | — | Announced |
| Dec 1, 2020 | $1M Seed | — | 2.12 Angels, 50 Partners, 7percent Ventures, David Namdar, Diaspora Ventures, EFounders, Entrée Capital Ventures, Founder Institute, Kima Ventures, Rajan Anandan, #secretfund, The Refiners, Andrew Nutter, Bruno Maisonnier, Charles Edouard Bouee, Frederic Montagnon, Mark Casady, Maxime Paradis, Rand Hindi, Stani Kulechov, Thibaud Elziere, TIM Seears | Announced |
Interstellar Lab is a biotech company that develops AI-powered biospheric systems, known as BioPods, for autonomous plant cultivation and production of clean, plant-based ingredients.[1][2][3][5] These modular, closed-loop platforms optimize growth conditions for plants, fungi, and microorganisms in terrestrial greenhouses, space stations, and lunar environments, serving industries like health, beauty, food & beverage (F&B), agriculture, and space exploration.[1][3][5] The company solves sustainability challenges by accelerating plant growth, enhancing molecular composition, and enabling regenerative food, air, and water systems amid climate crises and space expansion needs, with NASA awarding its technology twice for long-term manned missions.[3][5] Founded in 2018, it has raised $12 million, employs around 42-45 engineers, scientists, and builders across facilities in France (Ivry-sur-Seine), USA (Cape Canaveral and San Francisco), and shows growth through partnerships like Dassault Systèmes for virtual twins and simulations.[3][4][5]
Interstellar Lab was founded in late 2018 in Los Angeles by Barbara Belvisi, an entrepreneur with a background in tech investing and hardware startups.[2][5][6] Belvisi previously founded The Family incubator, an asset management firm that evolved into Hardware Club—a $50M fund for robots and hardware—and was named among France's top 10 women in tech and Forbes' top 100 worldwide at age 28.[6] The idea emerged from Belvisi's vision to preserve Earth's biodiversity and make it multi-planetary, inspired by space exploration technologies to create AI-driven, closed-loop biospheres for plant growth on Earth and beyond.[2][6] Early traction included NASA awards for its plant production systems and rapid team expansion to over 25 members by building labs in Paris and Cape Canaveral, with pivotal use of platforms like 3DEXPERIENCE for multidisciplinary collaboration on BioPod prototypes.[2][3][4]
Interstellar Lab rides the intersection of biotech, AI, and space tech, capitalizing on trends like sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, and multi-planetary expansion amid global food insecurity and NASA's push for commercial space habitats.[1][2][3][5] Timing aligns with post-2020s space economy boom, where private stations (e.g., Vast's Haven-1) and lunar missions demand reliable life-support systems, while Earth's climate forces demand regenerative farming—its pods enable faster, cleaner ingredient production for booming plant-based markets.[1][3][6] Market forces like AI automation in agtech and dual-use space tech (Earth benefits from orbital R&D) favor it, influencing the ecosystem by pioneering "biospheric" standards, partnering with giants like Dassault, and inspiring hardware investors to back space-derived sustainability solutions.[4][6]
Interstellar Lab is poised to scale BioPod deployments terrestrially for F&B giants and orbitally via NASA/commercial stations, potentially expanding to full life-support for Mars missions with its closed-loop tech.[2][3][5] Trends like AI-driven precision ag, space commercialization, and biodiversity tech will propel growth, evolving its influence from niche biotech to key enabler in harmonious human-nature futures on multiple worlds.[2][6] As space access democratizes, expect partnerships and funding to accelerate, solidifying its role in preserving and exporting Earth's "greensward" legacy.[2]
