Emergent: Building the Future Episode 3: Satellite Autonomy with Nate Hamet
In this episode, we hear from Nate Hamet, the co-founder and CEO of Quindar. Quindar is an aerospace startup redefining spacecraft operations with a SaaS offering that manages satellite uptime like servers in a data center. Nate started his career testing and launching billion-dollar government satellites at Lockheed Martin and later joined OneWeb as an early engineer focusing on broadband satellites. At OneWeb, Nate met his five other co-founders who helped build the software to operate the world's first mega satellite constellation.
Key Takeaways
* Learn about the product challenges that arise from managing satellite constellations that must maintain orbit and make regular contact with the ground in spite of temperamental connectivity and antiquated hardware.
* Hear how Quindar has tackled the jobs of dozens of highly paid engineers and astrodynamics experts in one multi-module product
* Understand Quindar's approach of treating satellites as flying servers, abstracting the complexity of different satellite types and operating systems, similar to traditional IT management, but in a cutting edge discipline.
* Find out how a team of six cofounders jointly built conviction for the same product solving the same problems and achieved product-market-fit
* Learn how Quindar decided to start with commercial sales instead of government ones
* Hear how Nate balances using AI for autonomy while protecting safety, and his views on Starlink
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In this episode, we cover:
* Introduction (01:02)
* Quindar's Mission (03:19)
* Satellite Industry Persistent Challenges (04:30)
* Quindar's Approach (06:07)
* Operational Challenges of Flying a Constellation (07:17)
* Why Satellites Require Constant Intervention (09:30)
* Challenges in Maintaining Contact With Earth (12:32)
* How the Industry Dealt with Challenges Pre-Quindar (18:15)
* Rise of Mega Constellations (19:59)
* Quindar's Co-founder Dynamics and Building Joint Conviction (25:27)
* Deciding Which Modules Matter Most and Continuous Learning (31:36)
* Getting Access to Hard to Reach Early Adopters (35:20)
* Hardest Parts of Building Quindar and Heterogenous Systems (39:10)
* Hiring Outside the Industry For Competitive Advantage (44:29)
* Deciding to Start with Commercial, Not Government (45:10)
* Quindar’s Take on Starlink’s Autonomous Constellation (48:27)
* Quindar and Generative AI (51:30)
* Getting in Touch With Nate and Quindar (54:40)
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You can connect with Nate Hamet through the following platforms:
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhamet/
* Website: https://www.quindar.space/
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You can connect with Adam through the following platforms:
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-judelson/
* Substack: https://www.emergentproduct.com
* X: https://twitter.com/Ajuggles
* Website: www.firstprinciples.la
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* Website: https://www.emergentproduct.com
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For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast or becoming a guest, email adam@firstprinciples.la.
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