Enlightenment Capital Invests in Vanguard Space Technologies

Enlightenment Capital, an aerospace, defense & government focused investment firm has backed Vanguard Space Technologies. Based in San Diego, CA, Vanguard is a provider of spacecraft components and assemblies for military, defense, research, and commercial satellites. Vanguard is a portfolio company of Nogales Investors, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

PRESS RELEASE

Enlightenment Capital, an aerospace, defense & government focused investment firm based in the Washington, DC area, announced that it has provided financing to Vanguard Space Technologies. Based in San Diego, CA, Vanguard is a leading provider of high performance spacecraft components and assemblies for military, defense, research, and commercial satellites. Vanguard is a portfolio company of Nogales Investors, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm. Enlightenment will serve as a strategic partner of the business going forward. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Vanguard specializes in the design, development, production, and testing of high performance space structures, including satellite antenna reflectors, spacecraft bus structures, optical benches for space telescopes and sensors, multi-functional composite structures, and solar power systems. With over ten years of space heritage serving leading U.S. government agencies and spacecraft primes, Vanguard has extensive experience applying advanced composite design and analysis to meet the highest standards for performance, precision, reliability, and stability.

“We are thrilled to be able to partner with Vanguard. With its deep customer relationships, technical expertise, and proven track record of delivering consistently high quality components that thrive in the harshest space environments, Vanguard stands poised to benefit from the robust outlook for satellite launches and manufacturing over the next decade,” said Devin Talbott, Managing Partner of Enlightenment Capital.

“Vanguard provides critical components for some of the nation’s most cutting edge space programs, with wide ranging applications in both the defense and commercial sectors. We look forward to continuing to support the team as it executes on its growth strategy,” added Pierre Chao, Managing Partner of Enlightenment Capital.

Enlightenment is a valuable and valued investor. They bring a sector focus and set of strategic supports to the business at an exciting time for our team,” said Frank Belknap, CEO of Vanguard.

About Vanguard

Vanguard Space Technologies engages in the engineering, development, and manufacturing of composite structures for the space industry, as well as the development of solar power technology for use on satellites, spacecraft, and aerial vehicles. For more information, visit www.vst-inc.com.

About Enlightenment Capital

Enlightenment Capital, a Washington, DC area based private investment firm, provides senior debt, mezzanine debt, and minority equity to small and mid-sized companies in the Aerospace, Defense & Government (ADG) sector. The firm partners with management teams, equity sponsors, and those businesses that provide vital services, protect critical infrastructure, innovate aerospace solutions, safeguard national security, and endeavor to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.