I have always been a fan of the extraordinary, and the goal of the investment club was to lead the investments that really aimed to reshape industries and change the world. Andrey had been talking about the "new space" sector for months, discovering many fascinating cosmic projects. When we heard of Destinus, I thought to myself: “Now that is a crazy (respectfully) challenge I can get behind!”

Imagine: door-to-door international delivery in under 2 hours. On hydrogen. With zero carbon emissions. And it’s not science fiction — it’s being built.

It sounded like the kind of madness I live for.

Destinus was founded by a serial aerospace entrepreneur known for launching satellites, building billion-dollar companies, and — evidently — being a dreamer. Destinus’ bold ambition: create a hydrogen-powered suborbital aircraft that functions both as a plane and a rocket, combining aerospace engineering with logistics at planetary scale.

We didn’t hesitate.

The first thing that struck us wasn’t just the technology — it was the philosophy. Destinus wasn’t building a gimmick. It was reimagining how humans and goods could move across the planet in a carbon-free, hyperfast way.

Here’s what hooked us:

• Zero-emissions travel powered by hydrogen, with only heat and water as byproducts.
• Global delivery in under 2 hours, making the 48-72 hour “express” standard look like snail mail.
• Technology stack that includes active thermal shields, autonomous flight systems, and rocket engines designed for atmospheric reentry—thousands of times over.
• A starting market of $157 billion in high-value, time-sensitive cargo, growing steadily with massive unmet demand.

At the time of our investment in November 2021, Destinus had just 32 employees spread across Switzerland, Spain, France, and Germany. But their ambition? To dominate both logistics and aerospace infrastructure in the coming decade.

It felt like backing SpaceX before anyone knew what Elon Musk was tweeting about.

We entered at a valuation of CHF 127 million, investing in two tranches — November 2021 and January 2022. The price per share at entry was $104.79.

Fast forward to early 2025: Destinus was still private, but had completed multiple successful test flights, expanded their team exponentially, and attracted a new wave of strategic investors. We exited in January and March 2025 at $286 per share, a healthy 2.7x return in just over three years — an impressive feat for a deep-tech hardware startup still in the pre-IPO stage.

More important than the ROI? The story.

What we were really investing in wasn’t just a prototype or a company. It was a vision of the future we actually want to live in: fast, clean, and global.

Too many startup pitches today promise digital transformation but deliver digital clutter. Destinus, on the other hand, reminded us of why we started investing in the first place — to back the bold, support the engineers with wild dreams, and give capital to those building something real.

In fact, freight transport was only the beginning. Destinus’ roadmap leads to passenger flights across continents in under 90 minutes, at a cost comparable to current long-haul flights, but with zero carbon emissions.

Imagine flying from London to Sydney before your coffee goes cold. That’s the future we said “yes” to.

In venture capital, we often forget that real disruption isn’t an app feature — it’s the courage to look ridiculous before you look brilliant.
Destinus reminded me of that.

To Andrey Belozerov: thank you for dragging me (once again) out of the digital maze and into the stratosphere. And to the founders crazy enough to build rockets that land like planes and deliver parcels across the world in 90 minutes — keep flying.

We'll keep watching. And backing.