E. Désiré Nzengou
Night-time Earth observation view of Central Europe from orbit
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Hiring brief · BD & Space Tech

Already inside the European space ecosystem — not ramping into it.

Business Innovation Manager · Space Tech BD · EU Programme Expert

Driving revenue growth and strategic partnerships across the European space ecosystem — from CASSINI ventures to EUSPA and ESA programmes.

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€50M+

CASSINI ecosystem value — BD, IPR & GTM for 40+ ventures

30+

Space ventures mentored through CASSINI Space Academy

12

Hackathon & competition programmes designed or juried

8

International markets, EU to Rwanda to the US

Use this brief when hiring

  • Business Innovation Manager
  • Space Tech BD / Partnerships Lead
  • EU / ESA Programme Expert
  • Downstream Market Lead
  • Space Resources BD

Why this is a clear choice

  • Five years as EUSPA downstream innovation consultant — CASSINI jury, academy, and founder coaching, not observer status.
  • Current GeoVille mandate: ESA and EU bid leadership, EO commercialisation, space-resources partnership architecture.
  • Proven programme ownership: EUR 500K+ national incubation budgets, Google EMEA training rollout, 8 international markets.

Selected experience

The roles that prove the mandate.

  1. Aug 2025 – Present · Austria

    Business Innovation Manager — Space Tech

    GeoVille Information Systems GmbH

    • 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.

  2. Dec 2020 – Jun 2025 · Czech Republic

    Space Downstream Market Innovation & Entrepreneurship Consultant

    EUSPA

    • 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.

  3. May 2018 – Dec 2019 · Rwanda

    Senior Industrial Technology Expert Advisor

    NIRDA

    • 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.

  4. Feb 2015 – Nov 2015 · Belgium

    EMEA Data Centers Program Manager & Training Specialist

    Google

    • Designed and deployed the first OQS programme for EMEA data centers — 44 courses, 5 technical areas, 60+ users, 3 geographies.

Featured work

Proof, not adjectives.

EUSPA (EU Agency for the Space Programme) · 2020–2025

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.

Strategic partnerships
Programme design
Venture mentoring
IPR
Go-to-market

GeoVille Information Systems · 2025–Present

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.

Bid management
Revenue modelling
EO technology
Partnership BD
Space resources

NIRDA · 2018–2019

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.

Programme management
Budget ownership
Open innovation
Hardware incubation

Google · 2015

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.

Change management
Training design
Cross-functional leadership
OKR

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

Further study

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.

Ready to staff this mandate?

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