How to pitch to Airbus Defence and Space as a startup

To pitch to Airbus Defence and Space as a startup, find a specific need on a programme the division runs, enter through one of the routes Airbus itself publishes (an internal sponsor, its global sourcing contact, an innovation programme or a shared EU-funded project) and arrive with evidence: technology readiness, a working quality system, eligibility and export-control facts, and a clear position on intellectual property. Primes buy solutions to programme problems from suppliers they can qualify. A pitch that answers both questions gets a second meeting; a pitch about technology alone usually does not.

Which parts of Airbus Defence and Space could buy from you?

Airbus Defence and Space is not one customer but a set of businesses, each with its own programmes, engineers and buyers. Airbus's defence overview names these lines:

Pick one row before you write anything. A pitch aimed at "Airbus" goes to a general inbox; a pitch aimed at a named business with a named product reaches someone who can judge it.

Which doors into Airbus Defence and Space exist?

Airbus publishes how suppliers and partners reach it. The routes below are the ones a startup can use.

The Partner Portal and global sourcing

Airbus explains on its Partner Portal page that access is requested by email with the company's legal name and address, the requester's details, the reason for access and the Airbus division concerned, the email address of an internal Airbus contact, and signed general terms, specific terms and a company administrator registration form. The same page states that a company without an Airbus contract should write to globalsourcing@airbus.com, and lists a separate contact for Defence and Space certifications.

The practical consequence: portal access follows a relationship, it does not create one. A startup's first task is to find the person inside Airbus who needs its product.

How big is the supply chain you are joining?

Airbus's supplier page shows the scale: more than 18,000 suppliers work with the group, external sourcing reached €53 billion in 2023 and around 80% of product value is bought from the supplier market, across about 90 countries. Direct procurement buys flying parts by commodity (raw materials, structures, systems and equipment, cabin products and engines), while Airbus General Procurement buys non-flying parts and services.

The same page sets the conditions every supplier accepts. Suppliers commit to the Airbus Supplier Code of Conduct, Airbus states zero tolerance for corruption, modern slavery and child labour, suppliers are expected to pass these principles down their own supply chain, and separate security requirements for suppliers apply. Read them before the first meeting; they are part of what a buyer will check.

Once a relationship exists, the Partner Portal page lists the working tools, such as AirSupply for ordering and invoicing, and notes that Airbus keeps supplier company information for three years before asking for an update.

Innovation programmes

Airbus units run programmes that bring startups inside. In July 2026 Airbus opened expressions of interest for the second cohort of Airbus Launchpad, a no-cost residency with laboratories, workspaces and test facilities at its Stevenage site in the UK, aimed at British space businesses. Programmes like this are country-specific and change from year to year, so check which ones are open where your company is established.

EU defence projects

The European Defence Fund funds consortia, and its bonus system rewards the participation of SMEs and mid-caps. For a prime, a capable SME partner can raise a project's funding rate; for the SME, a shared project is a working relationship with the prime's engineers. See how to find partners for an EDF consortium.

Airbus as an investor

Airbus also reaches startups through capital. In July 2026 Airbus Defence and Space became the anchor investor in E2D, a dual-use and defence technology growth fund launched by AVP and Earlybird with a target size of €500 million. The fund aims at about 20 companies with an average investment of €25 million, across space, air, land, maritime and subsurface. Its first investment, Alta Ares, works on AI-based intelligence, surveillance and counter-drone systems, and had already signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus Defence and Space to integrate counter-drone solutions into Airbus's battle management suite. For a growth-stage company, investment and integration can travel together.

Airbus in European Defence Fund projects

Airbus is an active EDF participant. In February 2024 it reported coordinating four EDF research and development projects (SESIOP on air traffic interoperability, EUCINF on cyber and information warfare, SPIDER on space-based surveillance and FASETT on a future tactical airlifter) with €40.7 million of EDF funding, and taking part in ten projects in total. Every such project is a consortium, and every consortium needs partners with specific capabilities.

What should the pitch contain?

Write the pitch from Airbus's side of the table. Engineers want to know if it solves their problem; procurement wants to know if you can be qualified; programme management wants to know the risk.

Keep the deck short. One page on the problem, one on the solution and evidence, one on readiness and qualification, one on the proposed next step. A proposed next step such as a paid evaluation, a test campaign or a joint funding application is easier to accept than an open request for a meeting.

A one-page summary to send ahead

Before any meeting, send a single page that a busy engineer can forward internally without editing. A structure that works:

1. Headline: one sentence naming the problem and the product, for example "Lighter, faster-to-install harness clips for transport aircraft cabins".
2. Programme fit: the business, product or programme where it applies, and who suffers the problem today.
3. Evidence: test results, the technology readiness level and where the tests were done.
4. Supplier readiness: quality system status, production capacity and lead times.
5. Eligibility and export: where the company is established and controlled, and the export classification of the product.
6. Proposed next step: a paid evaluation, a test campaign or a joint funding application, with a date.

Keep confidential details out of this page. Its job is to earn the meeting; the detail follows under a non-disclosure agreement.

What should you prepare before you ask for the meeting?

1. Map the target. Airbus Defence and Space covers several businesses. Identify the business line, product or programme where your solution fits and the role of the person you want to reach.
2. Get a warm introduction. A sponsor inside Airbus, a shared EU project, a cluster or an industry event shortens the path more than any cold message.
3. Close the qualification gaps you can. A quality system aligned with AS9100 and basic supplier documentation remove the first objection.
4. Clarify your eligibility. For European defence work, ownership and control by non-EU entities matter. Know your answer before you are asked.
5. Protect your IP and set your terms. Decide in advance what you would share under a non-disclosure agreement and what you would license.
6. Prepare the funding angle. If an EDF or EUDIS call fits, bring it: a funded joint project is a low-risk first step for a prime. See how to get funding for an aerospace startup in Europe.

How do you follow up after the first meeting?

The first meeting rarely ends in an order. What follows decides whether it becomes one.

• Send a short written summary within days: the problem you discussed, what you showed, the open questions and the next step you proposed.
• Answer every open question with evidence: test reports, a qualification plan, an export-control classification, a sample non-disclosure agreement.
• Find the second person: an engineering sponsor needs a procurement or programme counterpart before anything can be bought. Ask who that is.
• Propose a small, bounded step: an evaluation unit, a test campaign or a joint application to an EU call, with a date.
• Keep the relationship warm without pushing: share relevant results, certifications or funding wins as they happen.

How long does it take?

Expect months, not weeks, from a first conversation to a first order. A realistic sequence for a startup with a relevant product:

Each stage has its own owner inside Airbus, which is why the second contact, usually in procurement or programme management, matters as much as the first. The EU route can run in parallel: a joint proposal to an EDF or EUDIS call gives both sides a funded reason to work together while qualification proceeds.

What do startups get wrong?

• Pitching technology without a programme need. Interest fades when no one inside owns the problem.
• Treating portal registration as a sales channel. The portal manages existing relationships.
• Underestimating qualification. A prime may like the product and still be unable to buy it.
• Ignoring export control and ownership. In defence, these questions come early and can end the conversation.
• Asking for a meeting instead of proposing a step. A concrete, small, funded next step moves faster.

How can a cluster shorten the path?

FADEC's Industrial Partnership Office brokers Tier 1 and Tier 2 qualification and introductions to primes, with a named account manager and pipeline reviews, and commits to a first qualified introduction within 60 days of onboarding for Core members and above. During onboarding the cluster builds a capability dossier and agrees two target lists of primes or Tier 1 companies with each member. The membership page shows how many introductions each tier includes.

Quick answers

How do I contact Airbus if I have no contract yet? Airbus asks companies without a contract to write to its global sourcing address, globalsourcing@airbus.com. Companies with a contract contact the buyer in charge.

How do suppliers get access to the Airbus Partner Portal? By emailing Airbus with company details, the reason for access, the Airbus division, the email of an internal Airbus contact and signed general and specific terms and a company administrator registration form.

Does Airbus run programmes for space startups? Yes. In July 2026 Airbus opened expressions of interest for the second cohort of Airbus Launchpad, a no-cost residency for UK space businesses at its Stevenage site.

What should a startup bring to a pitch with a prime? A named problem on a programme the prime runs, evidence of technology readiness, a quality system, export-control and eligibility facts, and a clear position on intellectual property.