You don’t have to be an engineer to become a founder of a space tech start-up
The space tech industry is a diverse field with a wide range of people leading the charge. You don't have to be a space engineer to get involved. What does a typical space startup founder look like?
The space tech industry is booming thanks to new technology and a renewed focus on space exploration. In one of our previous articles, we mentioned about 1700 space tech startups currently driving the industry forward. We are always inspired to talk to space tech founders and based on our experience can group them into three categories. Which one would you fall into?
The Experts
When one thinks of a space tech startup founder, it is common to imagine a highly educated, experienced individual with a background in aerospace engineering and possibly even a history of working at NASA or other research institutions. This image is understandable given the technical nature of the space industry and the need for rigorous expertise in the field.
Working with a constellation of startups, at Space Ambition we see plenty of examples that comply with this pattern, such as Daniel Ceperley, CEO and co-founder of LeoLabs, Pavels Razmajevs, co-founder of Airmo or Susmita Mohanty, co-founder of Earth2Orbit. After achieving a PhD in Electrical Engineering Daniel worked at the Space Debris Tracking program at SRI. Later, he co-founded a company that transforms the way commercial enterprises and federal agencies launch and track missions in low Earth orbit, to fight space debris. Pavels Razmajevs was working at a space deep-tech company Eventech and successfully accomplished 10+ projects including ESA, ERDF, EU where one of the latest missions was HERA (Eventech was building processing system for Planetary Altimeter), which shows sufficient experience in managing space hardware development projects before starting his own company which is launching a constellation of satellites to solve the world's problems with greenhouse gasses. After a master's degree in Space Studies and experience at Boeing, Susmita co-founded India's first private space start-up, Earth2Orbit. The company provides launch advisory and procurement services and earth observation data analytics.
The Entrepreneurs
The other stereotypical founder in the aerospace industry is undoubtedly a good serial entrepreneur like Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX or Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Blue Origin. Before establishing their space enterprises, both had a dizzy experience as founders of massive successful companies, later applying their vision, experience, and resources in space exploration, making space travel more affordable and accessible.
However, it is worth noting that both Musk and Bezos have relevant education, with Musk holding a degree in physics and Bezos having a degree in electrical engineering and computer science.
One might think that technical education is necessary for success in the industry, but it is important to remember that founders like Musk are outliers and not necessarily representative of the industry as a whole. We will give several examples below showing that in reality, everything is much more diverse and interesting.
The Dreamers
A list of people who have made a significant contribution to commercial space exploration, without initially having professional expertise in the field, can be started with Richard Branson. His story is widely known, so let's give other examples.
Peter Beck grew up in New Zealand where there was no space program and no universities teaching space engineering. Despite this, he began experimenting with rockets and propellants while working as a tool-and-die-maker apprentice at a home appliance manufacturing company. He used the company's workshop to create a rocket bike, a rocket-attached scooter, and a jet pack. Peter never attended a university.
He then worked as a project engineer on a yacht. In 2006, he founded Rocket Lab, which successfully launched the multi-stage rocket Ātea-1 in 2009, becoming the first private company in the Southern Hemisphere to reach space.
Under Beck's leadership, the company developed the Electron launch vehicle, which was designed to accommodate a high launch rate business model to meet the needs of customers for small launch services. They pioneered many advanced aerospace manufacturing techniques, including 3D-printed rocket engines. Despite setbacks, in January 2018, the Electron rocket successfully launched, deploying two CubeSats and the Humanity Star. They also established a private orbital launch site Mahia Launch Complex in New Zealand: the first private spaceport to host a successful orbital launch and the first spaceport in the southern hemisphere. Rocket Lab has been public since 25 August 2021 and as of January 2023, the company has 29 successful missions out of 32 attempts.
Peter Beck's story is a testament to the power of passion and determination. Growing up in a country with no space program, he self-taught and used his personal qualities to turn his dreams into reality. His story is an inspiration for all startup founders to never give up on their dreams and to always strive for success. Still, he did have engineering work experience. But even that is not necessary for our next two heroes.
Meet Maureen Gannon, a holder of a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of St. Thomas and a Master of International Management.
In 1999, she founded M.Gannon, Inc. which developed a new and innovative business model for the $3 trillion commercial apparel and garment industry and led innovation and standardization of human factors across multiple apparel companies such as Levi's, Gap, North Face, and Lulu Lemon.
Since 2009, she has been applying her entrepreneurial skills to space tech as a co-founder of Virgin Galactic's outreach initiative, Galactic Unite, and a co-founder of Firefly Space Systems. Now, she is focused on X-Bow Systems Inc., an American small launch services and rocket propulsion technology company.
Another hero, Max Polyakov was born in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. In 2001, Polyakov graduated from Zaporizhzhia State Medical University with a degree in obstetrics and gynecology. While studying at the university, Polyakov launched his first software outsourcing business. He co-founded a number of successful non-space tech companies: Cupid (went public), Murka (sold to Blackstone), HitDynamics, and Maxymiser (sold to Oracle). Max became the first Ukrainian entrepreneur whose technology company is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Polyakov moved to Silicon Valley, where he co-founded Noosphere Venture Partners, an international asset management firm focused on developing space technology. It acquired the assets of Firefly Space Systems and then launched a new company in 2017, keeping the original Firefly brand. In November of the same year, Firefly Aerospace entered the list of companies selected by NASA for its lunar exploration program.
In August 2022, Northrop Grumman announced that it had awarded a contract to Firefly Aerospace to build the first stage of a new 300-series Antares rocket. On October 1, 2022, Firefly successfully launched the Alpha rocket on its second test flight.
Now Max is focused on his other space tech company EOS Data Analytics, provider of AI-powered satellite imagery analytics.
One thing that all types of founders have in common is that they are pushing the boundaries of what is currently possible in space technology and are making space technology more affordable and accessible. They are changing the way we think about space and how we use it, and their impact on the industry will continue to be felt for many years to come.
Many space tech startup founders are businesspeople, entrepreneurs, and visionaries who have the drive, resources, and determination to see their ideas through to fruition. They are able to hire and surround themselves with the required technical expertise to develop and execute the technology.
At Space Ambition, our mission is to inspire and support the next generation of SpaceTech entrepreneurs, regardless of their background. We understand that many of our readers are successful professionals in other industries and share a passion for space exploration. We hope that Peter Beck's story, as well as the others, will inspire you to see opportunities and to find the strength and support to start your own business or join a startup in the space industry. There are many exciting developments ahead, and if you're considering starting a SpaceTech startup, please don't hesitate to reach out to us for guidance at alexandra@spaceambition.org.
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Thank you for your inspiring article! It’s cool that people of all backgrounds all over the world run SpaceTech businesses. By the way there is another cool story of EnduroSat. The founder is a historian who runs business in Bulgaria and contributes both to educate people and develop the sector in his homeland. They raised $18M by the way:)
I love this article. With all deep tech technologies there is an inflection point a transition from the technical operators to the traditional operators, and that transitions unlocks countless opportunities that were not previously considered.