- Deep Space Energy wins TechChill Founders Battle with its nuclear-based space power innovation
- The founder transitions from successful software startup to ambitious deep-tech space venture
- The technology enables efficient, non-solar energy for satellites and lunar missions
- Deep Space Energy prepares for major funding and future expansion in space infrastructure
This March, Riga’s Hanzas Perons welcomed over 2,300 founders, investors, talent, and tech enthusiasts at TechChill Riga 2026. Arguably the biggest attraction was the Founders Battle which awarded four standout teams with cash/investment prizes. The Latvian SpaceTech startup Deep Space Energy became the main prize winner and received EUR 10K no-strings-attached from eazyBI.
From Physics to Entrepreneurship
Dr Mihails Ščepanskis, Founder and СEO at Deep Space Energy
After completing his PhD in physics and working at Argonne National Lab the the US, Dr Mihails Ščepanskis, Deep Space Energy’s founder and CEO, started CENOS — an engineering simulation software company that he scaled from three guys in a basement to a profitable international business with close to USD 1M ARR and offices in Riga, Latvia, and Queretaro, Mexico.
‘Founding Deep Space Energy is going from software to hardware – to true engineering and space tech. If this is not worth pushing it, I don’t know what is!’ Dr Ščepanskis shares.
He enlisted Professor Jānis Priede of Coventry University as a co-founder and chief scientist.
‘Jānis must be one of the most brilliant scientists in the field of electromagnetics and electromechanics. He possesses very old-school skills of high-end math and theoretical physics. Now, he accepted the challenge to apply this knowledge to practical things, he already made his hands dirty in the workshop of Deep Space Energy. He must be among the most brilliant entrepreneurial-minded scientists in Latvia,’ the CEO tells ITKeyMedia.
Power Beyond the Sun
Deep Space Energy develops a generator which turns the heat from nuclear waste into electricity. This represents reliable electricity that doesn’t depend on the Sun.
‘Our innovation is 5x more efficient heat-to-electric conversion, meaning 5x less radioisotope fuel per Watt-electric. Such a generator helps solve two problems: (a) power resilience of Military Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites, reducing their vulnerability against adversary attacks to the power system, which is the most mission-critical subsystem, and (b) lunar night survival, where there are 14 days of night, darkness and extreme cold. The Moon economy and defense needs create the unique momentum for our technology now,’ Dr Ščepanskis explains.
Investment Outlook and a Deep Tech Statement
Kadi-Ingrid Lilles, Partner at Iron Wolf Capital
Iron Wolf Capital’s partner Kadi-Ingrid Lilles was among the jury and shares the jury’s line of thinking: ‘It was a positively contrarian decision, just because of the size of the ambition that the founder is tackling. I think that though they are in a very difficult space, literally space tech, we understood that though the traction can be difficult and take a long while to mature and materialize, for this stage, they are certainly showing impressive traction with a very strong team and a lot of potential. Overall I think the jury members are very excited to see what’s next for the company.’
‘It’s interesting that this year we won against AI startups. The majority of the competitors at TechChill were with AI solutions. So, it’s space-tech, deep space tech wins against AI. The prize itself, probably, means very little. However, the recognition among the VCs means a lot since we’re starting raising our next multi-million seed round,’ Dr Ščepanskis remarks.
Deep Space Energy highlights the growing importance of resilient, non-solar power solutions for space infrastructure and addresses critical challenges in satellite security and lunar exploration. Its recognition at the TechChill Founders Battle signals strong investor confidence in ambitious, deep-tech innovations beyond the current AI-dominated landscape. As the company advances toward larger funding rounds, it is poised to play a significant role in the future of space energy systems.
Kostiantyn is a freelance writer from Crimea but based in Lviv. He loves writing about IT and high tech because those topics are always upbeat and he’s an inherent optimist!
