Alexandra Vidyuk from Beyond Earth on Investing in the Space Tech Industry
Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
Release Date: 11/15/2024
Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am excited to have , who was a Partner at NEA and is now launching a fund called Premise, where she led investments in breakthrough companies like Cleo, Rocket.Chat, Mejuri, EvidentID, Greenlight Card, Feather, and Lily AI. She also served as a board observer for high-growth startups including Robinhood, Willow Pump, and OmniSci. In this episode, Vanessa Larco, ex-Partner at NEA and founding GP of Primis, shares her journey from product management at Microsoft and Box to becoming a leading early-stage VC. Vanessa dives into how AI is reshaping product roles, what makes the next wave of...
info_outlineLifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am thrilled to have , the founder of , a serial entrepreneur, investor, and popular content creator focused on small business ownership. Nick cofounded and operates his primary business, Bolt Storage, a commercial real estate firm, which owns 1.9 million square feet of self-storage facilities across 62 locations in 11 states. He is the author of the new book, The Sweaty Startup. In this episode, Nick Huber, founder of The Sweaty Startup and Bolt Storage, shares his journey from building a “boring” service business to managing 1.9 million square feet of self-storage facilities...
info_outlineLifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
Levi Velez Reed is the founder of Twig Ventures is an investment syndicate specialising in sustainable consumer products and tech startups across North America, targeting companies at the pre-seed to seed stage. In this episode, Levi Velez Reed, founder of Twig Ventures, shares his journey from bootstrapping a marketing agency in New York to launching an investment syndicate focused on sustainable consumer products and tech startups. He explains the impact of removing unconscious bias in VC funding, supporting underrepresented founders, and creating accessible accelerator programs like...
info_outlineLifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am thrilled to have , the founder of , the first mastermind community for thriving professional services firms. Collective 54 helps founders and leaders grow, scale and exit their firms bigger and faster. In this episode, Greg Alexander, founder of Collective 54 and author of The Boutique, shares his journey of building and scaling professional services firms. He explains the three life-cycle stages: Grow, Scale, and Exit, and the importance of moving away from trading time for money. Greg discusses the unique business model of Collective 54, monetisation strategies for boutique firms,...
info_outlineLifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
Renan Devillieres is the CEO of OSS Ventures. Renan Devillieres is a CEO who is passionate about making a positive impact on society and the environment, and who believes in using technology to drive change. Renan has a wealth of experience in areas such as manufacturing operations, SaaS, and venture capital. Timestamps 01:00 – Renan’s unconventional path from Google search to joining McKinsey. 03:00 – Transition from factory director to building a tech startup; early failures and pivots. 05:10 – Moving to San Francisco, finding product-market fit, and exiting the company. 06:30...
info_outlineLifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
was the Head of Growth at . Topmate.io is a fast-growing online platform that connects freelancers and clients, he used to lead the growth strategy and execution for the company. rifa.ai founder. IIT bombay In this episode, Shubham Khoker, former Head of Growth at Topmate and founder of Rifa AI, shares his unconventional journey from UPSC preparation to the startup world, insights from scaling Topmate in India and the US, lessons from failed experiments, and the evolution of the creator economy. He discusses the future of AI in growth and operations, the difference between growth sales and...
info_outlineLifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am thrilled to have Palash Soni, the CEO of , an AI-powered B2B Video Campaign Platform that transforms marketing by putting video and events at the heart of the customer journey. In this episode, Palash Soni, CEO and Co-founder of Goldcast, shares how dropping out of Harvard Business School during the pandemic led to building an AI-powered B2B video marketing platform. Palash walks us through his early failures, the moment he saw the COVID tailwind, and how Goldcast scaled from zero to $1M ARR with Drift as an early customer. He also explains the future of AI-powered video content, why...
info_outlineLifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
Kishore Ravichandran is the investor at , the ultimate innovation platform. Over the past 15 years, PnP has brought together 35,000+ startups, 500+ world-leading corporations, and hundreds of venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies across 20+ industries In this episode, Kishore Ravichandran, Investor at Plug and Play Tech Center shares how a university program in Singapore sparked his passion for startups and led to a career in venture capital. Kishore explains Plug and Play’s global model—investing in over 2,000 startups, supporting them with a 550+ strong...
info_outlineLifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
is the co-founder and CEO of , a fintech that caters to the unique needs of (U)HNWIs. Hugo has over 15 years of experience in traditional banking, including roles at HSBC and Banistmo In this episode, Hugo Gomez, Co-founder and CEO of Bobo Fintech, shares how his background in traditional banking led him to build a luxury fintech platform tailored for high-net-worth individuals. Hugo discusses how Bobo offers customizable financial experiences—from wearable payment devices to accounts for private staff—and why legacy banks are unprepared for the $84 trillion generational wealth...
info_outlineLifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
the CEO at , an AI-enabled Lettings & Property Management Marketplace, that boosts 3x margins of the letting agency in 2 months only. He previously co-founded the largest tech-enabled letting company in Eastern Europe that managed 10,000+ properties and reached $50M GMV in three years. In this episode, Ilya Drozdov, former Uber GM and CEO of Dwelly shares his journey from scaling Uber Russia to building tech-enabled property management platforms. He dives into lessons from managing fierce competition with Yandex, what made Uber’s playbook effective, and how Dwelly uses AI to transform...
info_outlineI am excited to have Alexandra Vidyuk, the space tech Venture Partner at Aloniq, founder of Space Ambition, a world-class space technology research centre that collaborates with space agencies, investors, start-ups and co-founded a space tech venture builder and an investment syndicate named Beyond Earth
In this episode, Alexandra Vidyuk, venture partner at Aloniq and founder of Beyond Earth, shares her journey from a banking career to space tech investing. She explores the emerging trillion-dollar space tech industry, its intersections with sustainability, and the role of private versus government funding. Alex offers valuable insights into due diligence, navigating geopolitical influences, building syndicates, and advice for aspiring founders and investors entering the space sector—and much more!
Subscribe on Spotify
Subscribe on YouTube
Subscribe on iTunes
Learn
* What are some of the unique challenges faced by startups in the space industry?
* What criteria do you use when selecting startups or projects to support through Beyond Earth's venture-building program?
* Does Alex prefer founders who are new to a problem or those who are insiders and experts?
* What is your favourite business book? –Psychology of money
* What is your favourite online tool? –ChatGpt
* If you could go back to when you started working, what is the one thing you would have focused on? – Start syndicate earlier earlier
Timestamps
[1:30] Alexandra shares her transition from banking to startups, highlighting the desire for more impact.
[3:15] Discusses her initial startup in fintech, raising the first round and gaining early traction.
[5:00] Realization of her interest in deep tech and space tech, shifting from fintech to venture capital in space.
[7:00] Overview of sustainability’s role in space tech and its broader industry impact.
[8:30] The trillion-dollar potential of the space tech industry by 2035 and its expected exponential growth.
[10:00] Examples of satellite tech applications, like monitoring greenhouse gases and energy sources.
[13:00] Alexandra’s admiration for Elon Musk's impact on space tech, including the Starlink network.
[14:45] Unique challenges of space startups, including scientific feasibility, engineering, and regulation.
[18:00] Criteria used to select startups at Beyond Earth, including market size and team capability.
[20:30] Importance of government support and the independent approach Beyond Earth takes with investments.
[23:00] Alexandra’s views on politics in space investments and how they influence decision-making.
[25:00] Due diligence process for space investments, especially for startups like BioOrbit.
[29:00] Value of outsider perspectives in space, contrasting with industry insider advantages.
[31:30] Balancing founder quality and market opportunity when making investment decisions.
[34:00] Alexandra's experience with Space tech's visionary but challenging market sizing.
[37:00] Private vs. government funding in space tech, with private funding now at 80%.
[39:00] Importance of government-funded projects like the Artemis Program for foundational infrastructure.
[42:00] Advice for aspiring space founders on entering the space sector, even without technical backgrounds.
[45:00] Tips on building a successful syndicate and gathering LP support, including warm introductions.
[47:00] Marketing strategies, including LinkedIn ads, webinars, and masterclasses, for syndicate growth.
Alexandra’s Links
LDN– https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandrausynina
Website - https://beyondearth.tech/
My Links
Podcast: https://lifeselfmastery.com/itunes
YouTube: youtube.com/lifeselfmastery
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohitmal
5-day email course: www.enterprisesalesexpertise.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit partnergrow.substack.com