Lewis Jones crossed the Atlantic to find the most innovative minds in the US space landscape—and invest in them.
After working with Seraphim Space in the UK as an investor, 28-year-old took on a new challenge in America, working with US startups as an investment VP at Generation Space, the US branch of Seraphim.
Eyes on the prize: A key focus for Jones is identifying teams with a strong, commercially-viable vision and an ability to execute it.
“You can really tell a unique team within the space sector, particularly when they’re starting to talk about how commercially viable they are rather than just talking about how incredible a new technology is,” Jones said. “Ultimately, it’s about who’s leading that business. Do they have a massive vision, and do you reckon that there’s a chance they can execute it? That’s the main driver.”
Jones has played an active role in helping the companies he invests in navigate some of the unique challenges of the space sector. He’s often guided startups through the complexities of fundraising and significant business decisions.
Eyes in the skies: One particular area of interest for Jones is in the EO market, where he’s trying to get data from space into the hands of more terrestrial businesses to demonstrate its broad appeal and value.
“We have been big believers in the Earth Observation market more generally. However, the segment hasn’t necessarily lived up to the hype and [is] still largely stuck with a focus on government,” he wrote in his application. “I actively seek opportunities where space data can have an application outside of the space industry, make introductions to new satellite operators and therefore promote its use.”
