EPISODE SUMMARY
This week’s episode features CEO and cofounder of Loft Orbital, Pierre-Damien Vaujour. The SF-based company provides a turnkey solution for launching, deploying, and operating small satellites, giving more players access to space.
EPISODE NOTES
How do you get Blackrock to lead your $140M funding round? You’ll have to listen to Loft Orbital’s CEO and cofounder, Pierre-Damien Vaujour, to find out.
The SF-based company provides a turnkey solution for launching, deploying, and operating small satellites, giving more players access to space. Loft’s business model could be most simplified as a fulfillment model for the space industry. The company buys satellite buses in bulk and integrates customer payloads via their universal hub interface. The company’s proprietary satellite management software simplifies the notoriously complex task of spacecraft operations.
The key value prop? Help customers get to space in months, not years.
Mo and Pierre-Damien have a wide-ranging conversation, including highlights such as:
- Loft’s business model vs. competitors
- Space-as-a-service to space-infrastructure-as-a-service
- Future innovations in the satellite industry
- Toulouse, and why it’s the aerospace capital of Europe
And much more…
This episode is brought to you by Epsilon3, software for complex engineering, testing, and operational procedures. Learn more at https://www.epsilon3.io/
• Chapters •
00:00 – Intro and Epsilon3 Ad
01:38 – How did you get started with Loft Orbital
05:51 – Industry expectations vs reality
08:05 – Technical traction
09:19 – Space-as-a-service vs Space infrastructure-as-a-service
13:23 – Current commercial offerings
15:49 – Managing the complexity of multiple payloads
18:55 – Bulk buying vs vertical integration
21:41 – How do you build partnerships while minimize supply chain risks?
24:38 – Commercial traction
30:18 – Largest opportunity for Loft: Commercial vs Government?
31:30 – Epsilon3 Ad Break
34:45 – Competitive landscape
38:12 – Where is the satellite market heading?
41:41 – Next big innovation in satellite technology?
45:31 – Navigating fundraising and capital needs
52:51 – Toulouse, the aerospace capital of Europe?
55:13 – What company are you most excited about in the space industry?
56:02 – Book/movie recommendation?