SpaceBase Limited

Cover Block

Name	SpaceBase Limited
Tagline	Purpose-driven consultancy democratizing space access via workshops and competitions
Headquarters	Auckland, New Zealand
Founded	2016
Stage	Social Enterprise
Business Model	Other (Consultancy)
Industry	Other (Space Ecosystem Development)
Technology	Space
Geography	Oceania
Growth Profile	Social Enterprise
Founding Team	Co-Founders (2)
Funding Label	Self-funded / Fellowship

Links

• Website: https://spacebase.co/
• LinkedIn: https://nz.linkedin.com/company/spacebase-ltd

Executive Summary

SpaceBase Limited is a purpose-driven consultancy building space industry ecosystems in emerging markets. Founded on New Year's Eve 2016 by Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom and Eric Dahlstrom, the firm was incorporated in New Zealand the following year and joined the inaugural cohort of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship [spacebase.co]. Its core activity is delivering workshops, capability assessments, and national innovation challenges designed to identify and nurture local space-related talent and industry in regions with nascent space sectors [LinkedIn].

The founding team brings a blend of entrepreneurial and community-building experience, with CEO Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom also hosting the SpaceBase Podcast [Apple Podcasts]. The business model is consultancy and program delivery, with efforts to date reported as about 90% self-funded [PledgeMe, 2026]. Recent traction includes being named a delivery partner for national space challenges in New Zealand, working with entities like the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and Airbus [spacebase.co/challenges/, 2026].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core company description and founding story are from its own website and founder LinkedIn; partnership claims are recent and specific. Financials and scale metrics are not publicly available.

Taxonomy Snapshot

Axis	Value
Business Model	Other (Consultancy / Social Enterprise)
Industry	Other (Space Ecosystem Development)
Technology	Space
Geography	Oceania (Auckland, New Zealand)
Growth Profile	Social Enterprise
Founding Team	Co-Founders (2-3)

How the Company Got Here

SpaceBase Limited began as a project founded in Menlo Park, California, on New Year's Eve 2016 by Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom and Eric Dahlstrom [spacebase.co]. The consultancy was formally incorporated as a New Zealand limited company in 2017, after Rich Bodo joined the founding team and the group was accepted into the inaugural cohort of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship [spacebase.co] [Edmund Hillary Fellowship, 2026]. The company's headquarters is in Auckland [spacebase.co].

Key milestones have centered on establishing partnerships and delivering public-facing programs. The firm acts as a delivery partner for national space challenges in New Zealand, working with entities like the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Airbus, and ChristchurchNZ [spacebase.co/challenges/, 2026]. SpaceBase is organizing the ActInSpace Hackathon in Auckland for 2026, in partnership with Outset Ventures, Auckland Aerospace, and Planet [Aerospace New Zealand, 2026].

The New Zealand-based SpaceBase Limited describes its efforts as approximately 90% self-funded to date [PledgeMe, 2026].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Founding story and entity details are confirmed by the company's own site and a partner announcement. The self-funding claim is from a single public source; incorporation year and HQ are consistent across sources.

Product and Technology

SpaceBase's product is a suite of consulting services and structured programs designed to build capacity in nascent space sectors. The core offering is a proprietary workshop and assessment tool that analyzes a region's existing strengths and needs to develop a local space industry [LinkedIn (Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom)].

The firm's public-facing activities are anchored by its role as a delivery partner for national space challenges in New Zealand. It has organized and managed competitions like the Space for Planet Earth Challenge, working with government bodies such as New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and corporate partners including Airbus [spacebase.co/challenges/, 2026]. This extends to hosting international hackathons, such as the ActInSpace event planned for Auckland in 2026 [Aerospace New Zealand, 2026]. The company also produces the SpaceBase Podcast [Apple Podcasts].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Product claims are sourced from the company's website and LinkedIn, but specific tool details, client case studies, and pricing are not publicly disclosed.

Where the Demand Sits

The market for space ecosystem development is a mission-driven field where opportunity is measured by the growth of national space ambitions. SpaceBase operates at the intersection of space sector education, policy development, and international capacity building.

The global space economy was valued at $546 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2040 [World Economic Forum, October 2023]. Demand is driven by the democratization of satellite technology and geopolitical motivations, such as securing sovereign communication capabilities and fostering domestic STEM industries. International bodies like the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) promote capacity-building in developing nations, creating a policy environment favorable to SpaceBase's mission [UNOOSA].

Metric	Value
Global Space Economy 2022	$546B
Projected Space Economy 2040	$1,000B

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Adjacent market sizing from a major third-party report; specific TAM for consultancy services is unconfirmed.

Competitive Landscape

SpaceBase Limited operates in a niche defined by mission-driven ecosystem building. Its primary activities, workshops, capability assessments, and hackathon organization, place it in a specialized segment of the space industry's professional services layer.

• Incumbent and adjacent substitutes. Large aerospace consultancies like McKinsey & Company's aerospace practice or Euroconsult offer high-level strategic advice but do not focus on grassroots ecosystem development. Non-profit organizations such as the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) or The Karman Project run global networks but are member-driven.
• Defensible edge. SpaceBase's edge is its founder-led network and early-mover status in New Zealand. Its role as a delivery partner for national challenges provides institutional credibility [spacebase.co/challenges/, 2026].
• Exposure. The company is exposed to larger organizations that could replicate workshop formats. Its reliance on self-funding [PledgeMe, 2026] leaves it capital-constrained against better-resourced competitors.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitive positioning inferred from company descriptions and partnership announcements; no direct competitor data is publicly available for comparison.

Opportunity

The opportunity for SpaceBase rests on becoming the preferred capacity-building partner for nations seeking to develop indigenous space economies.

Scenario	What happens	Catalyst	Why it's plausible
Regional Replication	SpaceBase signs multi-year contracts with 3-5 national governments to run annual challenge programs.	A successful flagship program in a second country.	The company's mission is to catalyze space ecosystems in emerging countries [LinkedIn].
Institutional Embedding	SpaceBase's methodology is adopted by a major intergovernmental organization as their standard outreach program.	A partnership to co-brand and co-deliver a challenge series.	The company is already partnering with international entities like Planet and Airbus [Aerospace New Zealand, 2026].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Opportunity analysis is based on company-stated mission and cited partnerships; financial projections are illustrative scenarios without confirmed revenue metrics.

Sources

1. [spacebase.co] About - SpaceBase | https://spacebase.co/about/
2. [LinkedIn] SpaceBase Limited | LinkedIn | https://nz.linkedin.com/company/spacebase-ltd
3. [Edmund Hillary Fellowship, 2026] Edmund Hillary Fellowship | https://www.ehf.org/
4. [spacebase.co/challenges/, 2026] Challenges - SpaceBase | https://spacebase.co/challenges/
5. [Aerospace New Zealand, 2026] Aerospace New Zealand | https://www.aerospacenz.com/
6. [GOV.UK] THE SPACEBASE LIMITED overview - GOV.UK | https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07840844
7. [PledgeMe, 2026] PledgeMe | https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/
8. [Apple Podcasts] SpaceBase Podcast Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spacebase-podcast/id1487933047
9. [LinkedIn (Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom)] Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/epaatdahlstrom
10. [World Economic Forum, October 2023] World Economic Forum | https://www.weforum.org/
11. [UNOOSA] United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs | https://www.unoosa.org/