Zero Industries Raises $3M Pre-Seed Led by Maezawa Fund to Build Space Power Infrastructure

Zero Industries Closes $3M Pre-Seed

Zero Industries, a San Francisco-based deep-tech startup building power infrastructure in space, has raised a $3M pre-seed round. The round was led by Japan's Maezawa Fund, with participation from UntroD Capital Japan, NOW, Midtown Frontier Fund, and individual investors Kazuma Yamauchi and Takumi Asano.

The company states that the round is the largest publicly announced pre-seed by a startup with a Japan operating base. The financing was completed within six months of the company's founding in 2026.

What Zero Industries Does

Zero Industries is developing technology to beam electricity generated in orbit to satellites. Its first product, Helios, is built around three components:

• Helios Beam — transmitting satellites
• Helios Cell — receiver modules
• Helios Grid — the operations system

The initial market focus is Earth observation satellites, orbital transfer vehicles, and servicing spacecraft. Space data centers are identified as a later market for the platform.

Why It Matters for Acquirers

Space-based power generation addresses a structural constraint in orbital operations: satellites and other spacecraft depend on onboard power, which limits mission scope and duration. A working orbital power transmission layer could become enabling infrastructure for a range of spacecraft operators.

For strategic acquirers in aerospace, defense, and satellite operations, Zero Industries represents an early-stage position in a category that sits upstream of many orbital services. The company's three-part architecture — transmission, reception, and grid operations — suggests a systems-level approach rather than a single component play.

Round Details

• Company: Zero Industries
• Headquarters: San Francisco
• Stage: Pre-Seed
• Amount: $3,000,000 USD
• Date: October 22, 2026
• Lead Investor: Maezawa Fund
• Participating Investors: UntroD Capital Japan, NOW, Midtown Frontier Fund, Kazuma Yamauchi, Takumi Asano

Context

The presence of Japanese investors in the round, alongside the company's stated Japan operating base, points to a cross-border structure between the U.S. and Japan. The company was founded in 2026 and moved from founding to a completed pre-seed in roughly six months.

At the pre-seed stage, Zero Industries is pre-revenue and pre-commercial deployment. The Helios product line is described as the company's first product, with the initial customer segments — Earth observation, orbital transfer, and servicing spacecraft — representing near-term applications ahead of the longer-horizon space data center market.

Acquisition Angle

Deep-tech infrastructure companies at pre-seed are typically several years from scalable revenue. The strategic value at this stage lies in the underlying technology and the team's positioning within an emerging category. Acquirers with satellite operations, launch, or defense portfolios may view orbital power transmission as a complementary capability that could extend the mission profiles of existing spacecraft assets.

The round's investor base — including a fund associated with Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa's ecosystem and Japan-focused venture capital — may also shape the company's eventual geographic and commercial trajectory.