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Varda Space raises $250M at $1.6B to scale orbital drug production

·StartupReader editorial desk· 1 min readReviewed by our editors
FUNDING. $250M raised by Varda Space, orbital drug production. valued at $1B+ (earlier) to $1.6B (new). Stage: Series D.

Varda Space Industries has raised $250 million in a Series D round at a $1.6 billion valuation, bringing total capital to $598 million. The California-based startup manufactures pharmaceuticals in orbit and returns them to Earth, a process it says yields purer crystals and novel formulations.

The round follows earlier funding milestones, including a prior raise that valued the company at over $1 billion. NextBigFuture reported the new funding on 10 October; Varda did not disclose investor details but indicated the capital will support growth initiatives.

Varda’s valuation now aligns with recent raises from Nous Research and Vinci, positioning it among the highest-valued deep-tech startups of 2026. Unlike AI or cybersecurity, orbital manufacturing remains a capital-intensive, long-horizon sector, and the Series D suggests venture firms are increasingly backing hardware-heavy, science-driven startups.

Meanwhile, Armadin’s $255.5 million Series B at a $2.5 billion valuation, reported by DigitalMarketReports, highlights how cybersecurity and space are attracting similar late-stage investment. The difference in valuation multiples may reflect varying investor expectations for these sectors.

Sources: nextbigfuture.com · digitalmarketreports.com

“The round confirms microgravity manufacturing as a venture-scale category less than three years after Varda’s first orbital return.”
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