Business Development & Space Tech
E. Désiré Nzengou
Business Innovation Manager · Space Tech BD · EU Programme Expert
Sweden · Austria · linkedin.com/in/ednzengou · github.com/dnzengou
Driving revenue growth and strategic partnerships across the European space ecosystem — from CASSINI ventures to EUSPA and ESA programmes.
Selected proof
- €50M+CASSINI ecosystem value — BD, IPR & GTM for 40+ ventures
- 30+Space ventures mentored through CASSINI Space Academy
- 12Hackathon & competition programmes designed or juried
- 8International markets, EU to Rwanda to the US
Experience
Business Innovation Manager — Space Tech
GeoVille Information Systems GmbH · AustriaAug 2025 – Present
- Lead business and revenue-model innovation; manage ESA & EU-funded proposal development and bid submissions.
- Coordinate integration of advanced EO and space-data technologies into commercial service offerings.
- Build strategic partnerships within the European space ecosystem for space-resources opportunities.
Space Downstream Market Innovation & Entrepreneurship Consultant
EUSPA · Czech RepublicDec 2020 – Jun 2025
- Market development and downstream innovation; managed programme budgets and deliverables.
- Coached space and deep-tech founders on business strategy, IPR, and skills development.
- Delivered keynotes on satellite-data synergy with AI, quantum, blockchain, and gaming; represented EUSPA internationally.
- Managed CASSINI Space Academy content and mentoring for 30+ ventures.
Senior Industrial Technology Expert Advisor
NIRDA · RwandaMay 2018 – Dec 2019
- Led Rwanda’s pioneering STEM Lab and incubation programme for hardware and deep-tech startups.
- Managed programme budgets and facility design; shaped national innovation policy as Technical Working Group member.
- Spearheaded INNOVATE 4 INDUSTRY hackathon and STEM 4 INDUSTRY incubation programme.
EMEA Data Centers Program Manager & Training Specialist
Google · BelgiumFeb 2015 – Nov 2015
- Designed and deployed the first OQS programme for EMEA data centers — 44 courses, 5 technical areas, 60+ users, 3 geographies.
Selected work
CASSINI Space Academy — Entrepreneurship Curriculum
Designed and delivered the CASSINI Space Academy content framework, mentoring deep-tech ventures in space resources, in-orbit servicing, and planetary exploration. Curriculum covered business-model innovation, IPR, TRL progression, and investor readiness. 200+ mentoring hours to 30+ ventures reaching commercial milestones.
ESA & EU-funded proposal development
Lead business and revenue-model innovation for ESA and EU-funded Earth observation programmes. End-to-end proposal development and bid submissions. Partnership building for space-resources opportunities inside the European space ecosystem.
INNOVATE 4 INDUSTRY Rwanda
Conceived and executed Rwanda’s flagship smart-hardware hackathon and open-innovation challenge. Managed EUR 500K+ programme budget, led STEM Lab facility design and procurement. Co-designed a 3-month incubation track; 15+ hardware startups reached PoC.
EMEA Operational Qualification Standards
Led the cross-functional programme deploying 44 OQS training courses across 5 technical domains in 3 EMEA data centers. Built e-learning and OJT pathways, established LMS assessment, and achieved 100% rollout to 60+ DCOps engineers inside a 3-month window.
Competencies
- Business development
- Strategic partnerships · Bid & proposal management · GTM strategy · Revenue-model innovation · Market entry · Stakeholder engagement · TRL advancement
- Space & tech
- ESA / EU programmes · Earth Observation · EGNSS / Galileo + EGNOS · Copernicus · Space situational awareness · Space resources · Satellite imagery
- Innovation management
- Entrepreneurship programme design · Startup coaching · IPR strategy · Technology transfer · Open innovation · Hackathon architecture
Education
MA Engineering Physics & Nuclear — ISIB, Haute École Bruxelles-Brabant, Belgium · 2009–2011
BA Engineering Technology — ISIB, Haute École Bruxelles-Brabant, Belgium · 2005–2009
Complex Adaptive Systems (Chalmers) · Management (ICHEC Brussels) · Quantum Computing (Coursera) · The Blockchain (UC Irvine) · Neural Networks & Deep Learning (DeepLearning.AI) · Google Cloud ML · Data Science (Johns Hopkins) · Agile / Scrum · Six Sigma Green Belt · IELTS C1
Fluent in French, English, and Swedish. Works across five languages and three continents.