In this episode, we’re talking about the role talent plays in successful startups. For decades companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft have been competing for top talent and the rise of venture backed startups around the world have driven the competition to an all out battle for great hires. The battle for top talent now extends beyond just tech and touches every major industry looking to innovate.

GHGSat's vision is to become the global reference for remote sensing of greenhouse gas (GHG) and air quality gas emissions from industrial sites, using satellites. Their satellite is the first in the world capable of measuring air emissions from targeted industrial facilities. In this episode, we talk to Stephane Germain, CEO of GHGSat, about the company’s upcoming launch and how it will further advance their competitive lead.

Michael Sheetz started at CNBC covering breaking news and then joined the markets team, writing about Wall Street and stocks. During that time, CNBC gave him room to report on the space industry and realized there was a huge audience for it. At the same time, Space Capital began releasing reports which quantified the amount of investment coming into the industry. In this episode, we talk to Michael Sheetz, Space Reporter at CNBC, about the business case for space.

Quantum computing is advancing rapidly and this is creating a problem for secure communications that rely on the supposed mathematical complexity of asymmetric encryption keys. Although these keys are secure against computational hacks today, they can be cracked with quantum computers. China is leading the world in creating its own impenetrable quantum secure network and looks to extend that lead. SpeQtral is the only company outside of China that has demonstrated a quantum light source...

When the number in the corner of our smartphone screens changed from 3G to 4G, few of us even noticed. However, tech futurists say that fifth-generation networks will support a plethora of internet-connected sensors, vehicles, appliances, and other devices that will perform functions not yet unimagined. In this episode, we talk to Kieran Arnold, Director of Ubiquitous Connectivity at the Satellite Applications Catapult in the UK, and General Manager at the Westcott 5G Step-Out Centre.

Space-based technologies are the building blocks of innovation and enable our global economy. The importance of GPS cannot be understated and is now ubiquitous in our everyday lives through applications like Google Maps, Lyft/Uber, and Pokemon GO, which have accounted for some of the largest venture outcomes in history. In this episode, we talk to Greg Milner, author of Pinpoint: How GPS is Changing Technology, Culture, and Our Minds.

The legacy of satellite imagery dates back to the ’60s, but widespread access is just becoming a reality. The ubiquitous use of GPS has become engrained in everyday life, and satellite imagery is on the precipice of a similar boom. In this episode, we talk to James Slifierz, CEO of Skywatch. Skywatch makes satellite data more accessible by providing the digital infrastructure and advanced processing algorithms to integrate into any application within minutes. Skywatch's Website   ...

Tractors have been using autonomous driving for decades, but the AgTech sector is relatively new. With water becoming a scarce resource and fertilizer waste growing, precision agriculture is paving the way toward a more sustainable farm. In this episode, we talk to Anastasia Volkova, CEO of FluroSat. FluroSat uses an analytics platform that leverages satellite imagery, agronomic models, weather, and IoT data, to provide key insights to agronomists.   FluroSat's Website FluroSat Scores $3.2m...

The moon has been the center of conversation and debate lately so we are rebroadcasting our episode with guest John Thornton, the CEO of Astrobotic. Astrobotic, a Space Angels portfolio company, was recently awarded an $80 million CLPS (commercial lunar payload services) contract to deliver 14 payloads to the moon for NASA. Astrobotic will be launching in just two years.

In the space, government, and science communities, Lori Garver is a household name. She served as the second-in-command at NASA during the Obama administration, where she was a key proponent of the commercial space industry. She is a co-founder of the prestigious Brooke Owens Fellowship for women in aerospace and is also the CEO of Earthrise Alliance, a new non-profit organization which is joining the fight against climate change.

With the number of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) projected to swell to up to 15,000 in the next five years, space situational awareness and debris mitigation have become a much-discussed topic in the last year. In this episode, we talk to Dan Ceperly, CEO of LeoLabs, whose mission is to ensure safe commercial operations in LEO. The company was founded to provide a practical, cost-effective solution to debris tracking, management, and mitigation starting now, before the problem escalates.

Andy Aldrin is a true child of the Apollo era. Son of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, his career has spanned nearly every aspect of the space economy from big defense contractors, to entrepreneurial space, and academia. Currently an Associate Professor at the Florida Institute of Technology, Aldrin has recently launched the Center for Space Entrepreneurship, a program developed in partnership between FIT and the International Space University.

Anousheh Ansari has many firsts to her name—the first female private space explorer, the first Iranian in space, the first blogger from space. She is also responsible for helping to open up the Entrepreneurial Space Age through her work as the title sponsor of the Ansari XPrize. We spoke with Anousheh on how she made a childhood dream reality, the profound impact space travel has had on her life, and what the future has in store for this life-long explorer.

Jane Poynter is nothing if not fascinating. A former Biospherian and co-founder of Paragon Space Development Corporation, she is currently the co-founder and CEO World View, which is pioneering a new frontier at the edge of space and leading the way in the emerging stratospheric economy.

What rules exist to govern and grant property rights in space? What are you allowed to do and not do? And how are things changing as more new entrants join the space economy? To answer these questions, we spoke with Richard Garriott, a private astronaut and famed video game developer. But Richard’s credentials are not the reason we’ve invited him to the podcast—Richard is the first person to credibly claim ownership of extraterrestrial territory.

Investors often think space entrepreneurs like Elon Musk have achieved success all on their own. But government has played a major role in the development, growth, and revenue of companies like SpaceX. As today’s guest, Eric Stallmer (President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation) explains, the entire commercial space economy is built on a foundation of 60+ years of technology developed by governments. This episode addresses the question: What is NASA’s role in the future entrepreneurial...

Every year Space Angels ​host​s​ an Expedition, where a limited group of 20 of our most active investor members come together for an inside, first-hand look at the nascent private space industry. Get an inside "listen" into our 2017 expedition to Houston.

Chris Lewicki, CEO of Planetary Resources, explains how his asteroid-mining company ​plans to drastically reduce the cost of deep space missions by ​refueling launch vehicles ​in space ​with ​water extracted from asteroids.​ In this episode we're discussing asteroid mining, how it works, the market opportunity, and who's going to pay for this water.

Increased access to space has lowered the barriers to entry, which has ushered in a new wave of entrepreneurial space ventures. With companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin addressing the heavy lift segment of the launch market, companies like Vector Space Systems are addressing the burgeoning market for small satellites. 

By the 2020’s, near the planned end of the life of the International Space Station, NASA’s intention is to transition Low Earth Orbit from a domain that is primarily government-led to one that is primarily led by the private sector. The future is commercial and in this episode we welcome Jeff Manber to the show, who is CEO of NanoRacks, the world's leading supplier of commercial space station services.

While we went to the moon a handful of times in the Apollo era of the 1960-70’s, commercial space ventures like Astrobotic are taking us back to the moon by developing an economically viable transportation service, which will enable a sustained human presence. In this episode, we interview John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic and one of the most influential leaders in the entrepreneurial space sector. He's currently planning the world’s first commercial mission to the moon in 2019.