This week on Pathfinder, we welcome Adam Draper, founder and managing director of Boost VC, an early-stage venture capital firm based in San Mateo, CA, specializing in pre-seed deals in deep tech, including space.

Boost VC’s track record includes early investments in space companies such as Varda, Starfish Space, and K2 Space. This episode explores the philosophy and strategy behind the firm’s approach to venture capital.

In addition, we discuss:

• Adam’s journey into VC and the Draper family legacy in the industry
• The firm’s commitment to backing “impossible” ideas and frontier technologies
• Insights into investing in deep tech, from identifying committed founders to understanding market risks
• The importance of storytelling and momentum in aerospace and defense startups
• Boost’s role in shaping the future of space industries, from lunar water mining to satellite servicing and space manufacturing
• Predictions for the future of space and deep tech, including the rise of biopharma in orbit and even the search for extraterrestrial life

And much more…

• Chapters •

00:00 - Intro

00:45 - Adam's background

07:48 - Boost VC

11:57 - How do you tell a founder has commitment?

14:04 - Signs of a founder with a real interest in space

17:54 - Making the case for the space market

20:51 - On the frontier

23:01 - Signs Adam looks for when he needs to step in and direct a company

28:20 - Investing in software vs. deep tech

30:43 - Early-stage pre-seed investing

38:07 - How would a founder differentiate themselves when it comes to fundraising?

43:25 - How to stay ahead of the curve with investing in space

48:36 - Craziest space deal Adam has invested in

51:46 - Adam's 2025 predictions

• Show notes •

Boost VC website — https://www.boost.vc/

Boost’s socials — https://x.com/BoostVC

Adam’s socials — https://x.com/AdamDraper

Mo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam

Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace

Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace

Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes
 

• About us •

Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 19,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world.

Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing five media properties across multiple platforms:

1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern

2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com)

3) Polaris, our weekly policy briefing, publishes weekly on Tuesdays

4) Payload Research, our weekly research and analysis piece,  comes out on Wednesdays

You can sign up for all of our publications here: https://payloadspace.com/subscribe/