Funding · Government, Defense & Space

The Guild raises $20.5M for reusable rocket

By Startup Enthusiast · 28 January 2026

What they do

The Guild builds the world's first fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle, Razor Crest Mk-1

It closed a $20.5M Series A co-led by TDK Ventures and BIG Capital at an $80.5M valuation

The company aims to cut launch cost to $500 per kilogram, far below current industry rates

The Guild closed a $20.5M Series A funding round.
The round was co-led by TDK Ventures and BIG Capital.
Other participants included Accel, Prosus, YourNest, Campus Fund, BlueHill, and Riceberg.
The company's valuation after the round is $80.5M, a 5.5x increase from its previous round.
Total funding raised to date is $25.5M.
The company was formerly known as EtherealX.
The funding will accelerate development and flight qualification of the Razor Crest Mk-1 launch vehicle.
It will also be used to commission BASE-002 and maintain BASE-001 operations.

The Guild aims to build the world's first fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle.
Its target launch cost of $500 per kilogram is significantly lower than current industry benchmarks.
The company has developed two proprietary engines in 3.5 years: Stallion and Pegasus.
TDK Ventures President Nicolas Sauvage said the investment aligns with a vision for transformative innovation and cost reduction in space.

The Guild's mission is to build the world's first fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle, the Razor Crest Mk-1.
The Razor Crest Mk-1 targets LEO (Low Earth Orbit) and GTO (Geostationary Transfer Orbit).
Its LEO payload capacity is up to 24.8 tonnes, and GTO payload up to 10.8 tonnes.
The company aims to reduce launch cost to $500 per kilogram.
Both the lower and upper stages are designed to return for reuse, unlike partially reusable systems.
It uses a proprietary Full-flow Segregated Cooling Cycle (FSCC) for second-stage reusability.
The company developed two proprietary engines in 3.5 years: Stallion (1.2MN reusable semi-cryogenic booster stage) and Pegasus (80kN upper stage).
Stallion is claimed to be the world's most powerful reusable semi-cryogenic engine in its class.
BASE-001 in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu tests Pegasus engines and turbopumps exceeding 35,000 RPM.
BASE-002 in Space City, Andhra Pradesh will handle integrated stage and engine firing, additive manufacturing, and flight qualification for the Stallion booster.

The funding will accelerate development and flight qualification of the Razor Crest Mk-1.
The company will commission BASE-002 in Space City, Andhra Pradesh.
It will also maintain operations at BASE-001 in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu.
Testing of engines and the Full-flow Segregated Cooling Cycle (FSCC) will continue.

TDK Ventures (co-lead) — Corporate venture capital arm of TDK Corporation, investing in transformative innovation.
BIG Capital (co-lead) — Venture capital firm.
Accel (participated) — Global venture capital firm.
Prosus (participated) — Global consumer internet group and investment firm.
YourNest (participated) — Venture capital firm.
Campus Fund (participated) — Venture capital fund.
BlueHill (participated) — Investment firm.
Riceberg (participated) — Investment firm.