Valley of Depth

Welcome to the fourth episode of Pathfinder, a weekly show where Payload managing editor and host Ryan Duffy sits down with the top shot-callers in space.Katherine is a prolific writer and deep thinker on aerospace and defense, the US national interest, dual-use technology, and the relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington. As you can see below, we had a wide-ranging conversation on Pathfinder 0004.Prior to a16z, Katherine was a partner at General Catalyst, and before that, cut her VC teeth at Founders Fund. She was also a general assignment reporter for the Washington Post before moving out to Silicon Valley and started her investing career.Disclaimer, via a16z: "The content here is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice, or be used to evaluate any investment or security and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund."Pathfinder is brought to you by SpiderOak Mission Systems — www.spideroak-ms.com — an industry leader in space cybersecurity. Check out their space cybersecurity white paper at www.spacecyber.com*CHAPTERS*0:00 - intro2:35 - From pre-Bezos WaPo to B-school to venture investing3:42 - Culture shock of Silicon Valley and trying to “figure out the story I saw in front of me”5:40 - Joining a16z and defining the American Dynamism thesis 8:00 - No more tyranny of geography (Katherine is in Miami!)10:15 - VC + Silicon Valley exports to the world13:10 - “It is our goal that every firm has an American Dynamism practice”15:00 - The false dichotomy of atoms & bits  (not mutually exclusive) … and @ 15:15, Palmer Luckey (founder of Oculus & Anduril) as case study  15:45 - a16z Cofounder Marc Andreessen’s canonical pieces - “Software is eating the world” in 2011 and “it’s time to build” in 2020 - converging 18:00 - Building in digital vs. physical worlds 20:05 - Space is no longer a niche specialized area of investment21:45 - VCs enabling commercial space sector and government/DoD serving as key initial first customers to help startups get through the “valley of death” 22:40 - Governments as customers vs. competitors 23:10 - You can sell to government and move into enterprise, but you can also build a large enough business just selling to “US government and her allies” 24:43 - Dual-use technology, Silicon Valley working with the Pentagon, and Russia-Ukraine war as a catalyst for more cooperation? 27:30 - Defense as bipartisan issue then…to national security as ESG 30:00 - How can A&D startups compete with Big Tech for talent? 34:20 - Hardware-software hybrids, standing up new A&D company models, and sharing the playbook by “building in public” … talent not only going to Big Tech or academia, but into companies like SpaceX, Anduril, and Hadrian, and then starting companies of their own35:30 - The role of storytelling in startup success … and @ 36:35, having “an extraordinary storyteller at the helm” … @37:30, motivating teams through common missions and authentic storytelling 38:00 - Hadrian investment. Tackling issues in the US defense industrial base, supply chains, and fragmented machining/parts manufacturing industry … and 40:45, where Hadrian makes the biggest impact first 41:00 - Legacy industries serving USG often lack quality software or customer support … consumerization of B2G products 42:30 - CS PhDs working with machinists and people who resonate with the mission43:45 - Key under-discussed questions: Who is the team? How did you meet the team? And how are you going to recruit the team? 48:20 - Criticism of space exploration has been a constant since the inception of the US’s space program … but @ 49:00, space is cool again! We’ve moved to a world where people see space as cool again. 50:08 - Katherine’s predictions on the future of space exploration … “I don’t think people realize how fast it’s going to be here.”51:30 - Family conversations on leaving Earth?!52:45 - Does a16z have a full-time chief meme officer yet?*ABOUT US*Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand. While we have designs on becoming the biggest space content company in the galaxy, for now, we send newsletters and publish podcasts. Subscribe to our flagship industry-leading daily newsletter at payloadspace.com

Welcome to the third episode of Pathfinder, a weekly show where Payload managing editor and host Ryan Duffy sits down with the top shot-callers in space.Joining us this week is Lauren Lyons, a space industry consultant, startup advisor, and STEM evangelist. Lauren is working on a new venture, but most recently, was COO of Firefly Aerospace.Before that, Lauren held senior engineering roles at Blue Origin and SpaceX. While at Blue, Lauren worked on the company’s lunar lander and Orbital Reef programs.At SpaceX, Lauren worked on the development/certification of Crew Dragon; the launch of Starlink; chief engineering and mission assurance for Falcon 9 and Dragon; and Falcon 9 mission management. Rather casually, she also hosted launch livestreams for a variety of missions, including the Emmy-winning Demo 1. She makes a cameo on Return to Space, the Netflix documentary that aired in April. Lauren estimates these streams were just 5% of her time/duties…so needless to say, she kept busy.Pathfinder is brought to you by SpiderOak Mission Systems — www.spideroak-ms.com — an industry leader in space cybersecurity. Check out their space cybersecurity white paper at www.spacecyber.com*SNEAK PEEK*In Pathfinder #0003, Lauren and Ryan discuss:Her winding career path through time and spaceHow working as a medical device R&D engineer helped prepare Lauren for SpaceXSeeing friends on social media celebrate launching their spacecraft on Transporter missionsOperational efficiency and seeing SpaceX hit its strideLaunching StarlinkHLS, Orbital Reef work @ Blue OriginTeam Space is "super mission-oriented and mission-driven"Competing with Big Tech for talentThe role of company culture in shipping space products successfullyLean startup operations during downturnsLife after SpaceX, for Lauren and her coworkersReducing the barriers to entry for space entrepreneursThe SpaceX mafia and new deeptech startups/verticalsWhat the general public gets wrong about the space sectorLauren & Ryan's shared love for the Supernatural VR fitness app Moving past "space is hard"…and more!*ABOUT US*Pathfinder is powered by Payload, a modern space media brand. Subscribe to our industry-leading daily newsletter at payloadspace.com. Thanks again to SpiderOak Mission Systems for supporting Pathfinder.Finally, as Ryan mentioned in the conversation before the break, here’s the thread from Payload Director of Operations Jess Lis about investing in deeptech during downturns: https://twitter.com/jessicaxlis/status/1530262449139724290

Welcome to Pathfinder, a new weekly show where Payload Managing Editor Ryan Duffy sits down with the shot-callers in space to discuss all the top news and trends beyond Earth. In Pathfinder #0002, Ryan sits down with Rob Meyerson, the founder and CEO of Delalune Space and former president of Blue Origin.Pathfinder is brought to you by SpiderOak Mission Systems, an industry leader in space cybersecurity. Check out their space cybersecurity white paper here.*ABOUT ROB MEYERSON*While at Blue Origin, Rob reported directly to Jeff Bezos, oversaw Blue’s growth from 10 to 1,500 employees, and managed development of New Shepard, among many other programs. Rob has also worked at NASA and Kistler Aerospace.Delalune is a management consulting firm serving the aerospace, mobility, technology, and financial services sectors. At Delalune, which literally means “of the moon,” Rob backs and advises leading aerospace startups, including Axiom Space.While he spends plenty of time in the private markets, Rob also sits at the junction of space and public capital markets. He is the CEO of C5 Acquisition Corp., a blank-check company seeking a SPAC merger “at the leading edge of national security innovation in space, cybersecurity, and energy transition.” Early on in the discussion, Rob shares his thoughts on why investors would be ill-advised to avoid investing in space during our current market downturn.Later on, Rob and Ryan drill down on the products and services NASA is looking to buy rather than build or operate itself. Rob also surveys the technologies we’ll need to build, buy, deploy, and launch to ensure an expeditious return to the Moon and sustained presence on the lunar surface.We touch on building out the lunar economy, then consider all the other puzzle pieces that humanity will need to assemble to not only go back to the Moon, but also set the stage for a lasting multiplanetary future.*CHAPTERS*1:53 - The NS-21 crewed spaceflight mission 4:00 - Joining Blue Origin at the tail end of its think tank stage 4:24 - Reporting directly to Jeff Bezos, Rob's expansive portfolio of duties, and scaling headcount from 10 to 1,5007:14 - Blue in stealth mode 9:00 - After Beal Aerospace shut down, "the most recent story about commercial space was a negative one."11:27 - Pockets of talent density in commercial space across the US15:55 - Why we'd be ill-advised to stop investing in space during a potential market pullback19:08 - Defense/aerospace industrial base discussion 22:32 - Space market assessment, data, and NASA procurement opportunities for startups27:45 - What's the killer app for low-Earth orbit? 30:15 - The need for reentry vehicles from low-Earth orbit and return services to Earth 31:38 - Cost-plus contracting 35:02 - NASA planting a flag on the moon, and staying, and what that might mean for commercial space entrepreneurs36:11 - Lunar services and businesses that excite Rob38:49 - Overhyped/underhyped aspects of space 41:06 - Rob's advice for students looking to break into the space industry*ABOUT US*Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand. While we have designs on becoming the biggest space content company in the galaxy, for now, we send newsletters and publish podcasts. Subscribe to our flagship industry-leading daily newsletter at payloadspace.com

Axiom is a Houston-based space startup unicorn. Axiom is building a space station, brokering private spaceflight missions with SpaceX, and even has a slot at the International Space Station (ISS) with its name on it. If you can't tell, we love saying the word space.Suffredini is one of the world’s foremost authorities on building and operating space stations. He spent three decades at NASA and 10 years as the ISS program manager, before hanging up his space agency cleats and starting Axiom with Kam Ghaffarian.In April, Axiom clinched a world, or maybe intergalactic, first. Together with SpaceX, Axiom launched Ax-1, the first all-private mission to the ISS. In our conversation, recorded in early May, Suffredini shares plenty with us on Ax-1, Axiom's business model, his time at NASA, Tom Cruise's LEO movie, in-space manufacturing, and much more.Pathfinder's first episode is brought to you by SpiderOak Mission Systems, an industry leader in space cybersecurity.*CHAPTERS*0:00 - intro1:33 - Ax-1 mission introduction 3:07 - Staying busy after the mission concluded4:17 - Looking back at the launch, what surprised Mike the most?6:50 - Mike’s departure from NASA, fateful convos with eventual Axiom cofounder Dr. Kam Ghaffarian, and the decision to start Axiom 9:40 - “He called me back probably the next day and said: 'Okay, I'm in. Let's go build a space station.'”11:54 - How could a commercial station improve upon what’s been started with the ISS? What’s different between public and private stations? 13:21 - Spacewalks are expensive and time-consuming, but necessary to repair American components outside the International Space Station14:13 - At the ISS, “we transitioned to a laptop you could buy online.” Axiom is taking this approach to a whole new level.14:40 - UX (user experience) space stations - a niche but important discipline15:29 - Fixing issues in flight without calling the ground and using automated onboard hardware15:50 - Cost comparisons between public and private stations 16:10 - Buy vs. build18:07 - Vertical integration 19:56 - Axiom’s roadmap: Phase #1 @ 20:04, Phase #2 @ 21:45, and Phase #3 @ 22:4623:46 - Later this century, Axiom has sci-fi visions of creating rotating space cities in low-Earth orbit26:24 - NASA shifting from owning/operating a station to being one customer on it 31:04 - Axiom’s target markets, from applied research to in-space manufacturing33:16 - “The big thing that’s really ‘gonna change our lives”...33:12 - The killer app for space stations?36:01 - Internet analogy … and Amazon comparison @ 40:0737:20 - Inspiring kids to start thinking about microgravity and building products/businesses suited to the conditions of microgravity42:52 - “The movie flight is the worst-kept secret in the industry” (👀Tom Cruise👀)43:53 - Closing out the show with a bunch of Texas questions*ABOUT US*Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand. While we have designs on becoming the biggest space content company in the galaxy, for now, we send newsletters and publish podcasts. Subscribe to our flagship industry-leading daily newsletter at payloadspace.com