Space Grove Ventures debuts at SpaceCom | Space Congress 2026

By Cassidy Mills, Staff Writer

 

February 27, 2026

 

Space Grove Ventures publicly launched on Jan. 29 at SpaceCom | Space Congress, a commercial space industry conference held Jan. 28-30 at the Orange County Convention Center that brought together representatives to discuss developments in space operations, national security, technology and business.

 

The Florida-based company has entered the market as a for-profit operator focused on redeveloping real estate assets for use by organizations in the space, defense and advanced technology sectors.

 

Space Grove Ventures’ business model centers on acquiring or partnering on underutilized properties and converting them into facilities intended to support collaboration, workforce development and commercialization activities. The firm will provide facility operations, tenant coordination and programming designed to connect industry, government and academic stakeholders.

 

Melissa Patton, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer, said in a Jan. 29 press release the company’s approach emphasizes execution and coordination among property owners, investors and tenants.

 

“At its core, Space Grove Ventures is about converting latent opportunity into productive capacity,” Patton said. “We focus on the hard work of execution, activating real estate, aligning stakeholders and building environments where innovation, capital and talent can actually move together.”

 

Space Grove Ventures is seeking alignment with national security and dual-use technology priorities. The company has engaged with the United States Space Force and referenced potential collaboration with Space Delta 10, which is responsible for wargaming and test activities.

 

Col. Shannon DaSilva, commander of Space Delta 10, said in the press release the unit is working toward establishing a near-term Wargaming Center in Florida and is interested in integrating commercial space capabilities into its operations.

 

“The future of our space and defense ecosystems will depend on effective collaboration across government, industry and academic sectors,” DaSilva said. “Space Grove Ventures offers the service a unique opportunity to build a partnership that supports innovation, operational readiness and the expansion of the workforce required to enable our wargame design and execution missions.”

 

The company describes itself as distinct from incubators or advisory firms, characterizing its facilities as revenue-generating operating assets. It reports that anticipated revenue streams may include facility operations, service offerings and partnership arrangements tied to commercialization support.

 

Leadership met with investors, industry representatives, government officials and international delegations during SpaceCom | Space Congress as part of its initial market engagement.