Meet Bianca Cefalo — Founder of Space DOTS and Winner of Novi’s Startup of the Year 2024
Last year, Bianca Cefalo was honored as Startup of the Year at the Novi Awards — and for good reason. Her company, Space DOTS, has revolutionized how we test materials in space with technology once deemed impossible. The judges recognized not just the brilliance of what she’s building, but the unwavering conviction it took to bring it to life against all odds.
It started with a single question: What if we could test materials in space without bringing them back to Earth?
To the aerospace establishment, it was an outrageous idea. Too risky. Too ambitious. Too…impossible.
But for Bianca Cefalo, it wasn’t just possible — it was necessary.
And like every powerful woman we know, she didn’t wait for permission to begin.
At the time, Bianca had already built a formidable career. She was a spacecraft thermal engineer with NASA, Airbus, and Carbice on her résumé. She had led teams, shaped innovation roadmaps, and even helped steer revenue growth by 97% in a US deep-tech firm.
But still — she couldn’t shake the vision.
A lab the size of a smartphone. In orbit. Running tests in microgravity conditions in real-time.
Something that — on paper — shouldn’t exist.
Turning ‘Impossible’ Into Orbit
In 2021, she co-founded Space DOTS, a space tech startup that dared to make that idea real. Her plan? Shrink a full tensile testing lab (the size of a washing machine on Earth) into something small enough to fit in the palm of your hand — and launch it.
Three years later, Space DOTS has not only done it — they launched in October 2024.
But it wasn’t just the tech that made headlines.
In the past year alone, Bianca and her team have:
Closed a $1.5M pre-seed round
Hired a dream team from Formula 1, Airbus, Nuclear, and FinTech — many who cut their salaries in half to join the vision
Signed Airbus Defence and Space as their first customer
Secured their first patent on this once-impossible technology
Won three major industry awards, and were named one of “10 Hottest Smallsat Startups to Watch in 2024”
And now, they’re gearing up for their first commercial mission — launching the ‘Data DOT’, a miniaturised testing lab that will change how we understand materials in space.
More Than a Founder — A Force
Bianca doesn’t just lead a company. She leads a movement.
Her passion is contagious. Her story, impossible to ignore. She speaks across global stages, mentors young women in STEM, and builds a new narrative for what leadership looks like in deep tech.
And while she’s worked with every major agency from NASA to ESA, it’s clear she’s always working on something bigger than herself.
Last year, she was honoured as our Startup of the Year at the Novi Awards — and we couldn’t think of anyone more deserving. Not just for the brilliance of what she’s building, but for the conviction it took to build it.
The Novi Woman of the Week
We’re proud to spotlight Bianca Cefalo as our Novi Woman of the Week — not because she made it look easy, but because she made it possible.
In a world still catching up to women in space, Bianca didn’t wait for a seat at the table.
She built her own lab.
In orbit.
With a team that believed.
And a dream that didn’t need permission.
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