TooEarly Ventures invests €50,000 in StellarFix, a startup developing star-based navigation

TooEarly Ventures invests €50,000 in StellarFix, a startup developing star-based navigation

Estonian startup StellarFix has raised €50,000 from TooEarly Ventures, the venture studio operating at Estonian Business School (EBS), to build a prototype of its star-based navigation solution and begin testing it in real-world conditions. Founded by Ralf Lamp and Mihkel Rannut, the company aims to create an alternative to the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), the best-known part of which is GPS.

Aircraft, ships and everyday map apps all depend on satellite navigation. Disruptions to positioning data can mean a misleading course for a ship, an aborted landing for an aircraft, or a phone user suddenly jumping to a side street on the map. StellarFix is looking for a way to determine location independently of satellite signals by using celestial bodies.

“It may come as a surprise that even today’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) determines its own position thanks to the stars, drawing on knowledge that dates back thousands of years. Yet it has been centuries since stars were treated as critical navigation infrastructure. Our ambitious goal is to bring together celestial navigation, which may at first glance seem like a relic, with advanced computing power and cutting-edge science to create navigation solutions that will last for generations,” said Ralf Lamp, CEO of StellarFix.

The company is starting with the star closest and brightest to us - the Sun. The prototype, built on a theory the team has already developed, will make it possible to test how the solution works and how accurate it is under actual operating conditions.

The idea for StellarFix grew out of a practical problem: Lamp’s father, a ship captain, repeatedly experienced situations in one particular area where GPS gave misleading position data. This prompted the young founder to look for a different way to navigate reliably, and he has been developing the solution for several years.

Co-founder Mihkel Rannut brings a strong background in physics to the company. Rannut has represented Estonia at international physics Olympiads on several occasions and has won multiple gold medals at the European Physics Olympiad.

TooEarly’s investment decision was based on a clear practical need, the founders’ work to date and the team’s scientific capability. Although the founders are young, the team combines several years of development experience with internationally proven expertise in physics.

“As a company tackling a real-world problem rooted in genuine need, StellarFix is exactly the kind of investment TooEarly wants to make. The company is also at precisely the right stage, where the first investment ahead of a pre-seed round goes towards building a prototype. In other words, the funding supports the first step of turning the idea into reality - the make-or-break moment and the most important step towards actual execution. Without it, a company can end up in the graveyard of ideas, and that is something Europe cannot afford,” explained Triinu Lukas, CEO of TooEarly Ventures.

The €50,000 investment will allow StellarFix to move from theory to building a prototype and testing it in real life. Key performance indicators (KPIs) have also been agreed as part of the funding, and meeting them is a prerequisite for the next tranche of investment.

Supporting StellarFix fits TooEarly’s mission: the venture studio helps early-stage ideas grow into companies by combining funding, hands-on support and a network of contacts. Backed by Estonian Business School (EBS), the studio bridges entrepreneurship education and company building, working with founders both from the EBS community and from outside the university.

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