On this week’s bonus episode, we’re joined by Van Espahbodi for our special 2022 Space Industry Outlook episode.  We’ll discuss Van’s experience as an investor in aerospace and space technology, recap some of the trends we saw play out in 2021, as well as his predictions for what is sure to be a busy year ahead for the commercial space industry.

As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Starburst, Van is championing today’s aerospace renaissance, uniting early-stage technology innovators with private investment to modernize infrastructure in mobility, communications and intelligence.  Van launched Starburst in the U.S. in 2015, which operates globally today with offices in Los Angeles, Paris, London, Munich, Madrid, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore, Tel Aviv, and Montreal.  His team works alongside hundreds of technology startups developing new aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, drones, sensors, autonomy, robotics and much more.

An entrepreneurial futurist, Van has over 18 years of experience in aerospace, identifying future trends, shaping product strategy and investment trade policies.  Having worked in Government and Corporate strategy positions in both defense and commercial aviation markets, Van started his career as a congressional aide before joining Raytheon and later UK NATS, the British airspace operator.  Following graduate studies at George Mason University, Van participated in executive programs at Thunderbird School of Management in AZ and Cranfield School of Management in the UK.  He currently serves as an advisor to the U.S. Space Force, NASA, both the Mayors of Los Angeles and the City of El Segundo, and sits on the Advisory Boards of the Alliance for Southern California Innovation and the MIT Enterprise Forum.