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CISGAM
Techstars '25Cerritos, US · 4 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
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Cisgam develops microfluidic electrospray thrusters for small satellites. The company provides propulsion technology using charged droplets and electric fields to accelerate propellant for space missions.
Also known as CISGAM
Investors · 1
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Company profile
researched Sep 2026CISGAM develops an electrospray propulsion system for small satellites (SmallSats). The system uses microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) manufacturing to build compact arrays of thousands of electrospray emitters that process the electrical power a spacecraft harvests from the sun. Propulsion is achieved by electrostatically accelerating charged droplets and ions emitted by the electrosprays; because a single emitter processes limited power, many emitters are arrayed to atomize sufficient propellant.
The technology addresses the lack of an efficient propulsion option for small satellites. As satellites have shrunk from large structures to units as small as a one-unit CubeSat, conventional propulsion systems no longer fit within the available volume and power budget, leaving many small satellites unable to change orbit, avoid collisions, or deorbit at end of mission. CISGAM's system is described as compact and efficient enough to propel even one-unit CubeSats, with performance suited to low power levels and with thrust and power scalable through microfabrication.
The team emerged from UC Irvine's Samueli School of Engineering and is led by Professor Manuel Gamero Castaño, with participants including Dr. Albert Cisquella-Serra, an aerospace engineer who completed his Ph.D. and postdoctoral research at UC Irvine developing the propulsion system, Ph.D. student Marc Galobardes Esteban, and Magnani, another Ph.D. graduate from the Gamero lab.
Founding story
CISGAM began as a research team at the University of California, Irvine's Samueli School of Engineering, in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department, under Professor Manuel Gamero Castaño, who has worked on the underlying research for about 20 years. The team moved toward commercialization through UC Irvine's regional NSF I-Corps program and then the national NSF I-Corps program.
Business model
CISGAM is commercializing university research into a hardware product: microfabricated electrospray propulsion units intended to be integrated into small satellite platforms. Customer discovery indicated that purchasing decisions for propulsion are made primarily by satellite platform manufacturers rather than by satellite operators, shaping the company's target buyer.
Traction
The team completed regional and national NSF I-Corps programs, conducting 110 customer discovery interviews, and was selected in 2025 as one of five startups to pitch at the First Look SoCal Deep Tech Innovation Showcase.
Latest developments
In September 2025, CISGAM was one of five startups selected for the First Look SoCal Deep Tech Innovation Showcase at the second annual SoCal Deep Tech Symposium in El Segundo, where Albert Cisquella presented to a panel of investors and subject matter experts.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
CISGAM is an early-stage university spinout addressing propulsion for the growing small satellite market, which is expanding as launch costs fall and operators deploy large numbers of small satellites for applications such as broadband internet, satellite television, and monitoring of forestry, agriculture, urban development and marine transport.
The approach combines MEMS microfabrication with electrospray physics to place thousands of emitters in a compact array, allowing efficient operation at the low power levels available on small satellites and permitting power and thrust to be scaled by adding emitters. In interviews conducted during the NSF I-Corps program, satellite manufacturers reported difficulty finding propulsion systems that meet their size, power and integration constraints.
Technology
Electrospray propulsion based on the electrostatic acceleration of charged droplets and ions produced by electrosprays. CISGAM uses MEMS microfabrication to build compact arrays of thousands of emitters so that the solar-derived electrical power available on a SmallSat can be processed and enough propellant atomized. The architecture is intended to operate efficiently at low power and to scale in power and thrust with emitter count, fitting within the volume constraints of satellites as small as a one-unit CubeSat.
Go-to-market
The company pursues commercialization through university technology programs and startup showcases, including NSF I-Corps customer discovery and investor-facing pitch events for university spinouts in Southern California, while engaging directly with satellite platform manufacturers identified as the primary buyers of propulsion systems.
Small satellite and CubeSat platform manufacturers, which the team identified through customer discovery as the parties that make propulsion selection decisions, rather than satellite operators.
Geography
The company is based in Cerritos, California, with its research origins at UC Irvine and participation in Southern California deep tech programs and events, including the SoCal Deep Tech Symposium in El Segundo.
History
The effort originated in Professor Manuel Gamero Castaño's laboratory in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at UC Irvine, where work on the underlying electrospray research spans roughly two decades. The team took part in the regional NSF I-Corps program run at UC Irvine and subsequently in the national NSF I-Corps program, completing it in 2023 with 110 customer interviews. In September 2025, CISGAM was selected as one of five startups commercializing university breakthroughs to pitch at the SoCal Deep Tech Symposium in El Segundo.
Compiled by commissioned research from 6 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsCISGAM, represented by Albert Cisquella, was one of five university-spinout startups selected to deliver a three-minute pitch followed by investor Q&A at the 2nd Annual SoCal Deep Tech Symposium in El Segundo, organized by the Alliance for SoCal Innovation.
The CISGAM team, formed at UC Irvine's Samueli School of Engineering, completed the regional I-Corps program at UC Irvine and then the U.S. National Science Foundation's national Innovation Corps program, conducting 110 customer discovery interviews against a target of 100.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 6
primary sources listed
- Propelling New Frontiers in Space and in NSF I-Corps – UCI Beall Applied Innovationinnovation.uci.edu · web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does CISGAM do?
- CISGAM, a UC Irvine spinout, builds MEMS-microfabricated electrospray propulsion systems for small satellites and CubeSats.
- Who are CISGAM's investors?
- CISGAM's investors include Techstars.
- Where is CISGAM headquartered?
- CISGAM is headquartered in Cerritos, US.