### Space Mining Startups: Future of Investment Opportunities

Founders of early-stage companies are poised to revolutionize space exploration and technology through innovative risks.

### The Future of Space Entrepreneurship: Opportunities and Challenges
* 🚀 The discussion extends beyond reusable rockets to envisioning the **mining of resources in space and asteroids**, highlighting a **new ecosystem's potential**.
* 🌌 With nearly 20 years of experience in building high-growth companies, the speaker emphasizes the **importance of understanding what it takes to be a great founder**, regardless of the industry.
* 📈 The current economic climate has shifted, making it **less speculative** for early-stage companies to attract investment in space ventures, especially with the advancements led by companies like **SpaceX and Blue Origin**.
* 🛰 The technology and infrastructure necessary for space exploration are now accessible, making it reasonable to expect **significant developments and returns** within the next decade.
* 💼 Startups are more agile than established firms like SpaceX, allowing them to **take bold risks and leverage new technologies** to create **innovative solutions for future generations**.
* 🌍 Investment trends are evolving, with a noticeable interest in **deep tech alongside AI**, indicating that venture capitalists recognize the potential for **substantial growth** in these sectors.
* 💡 The power of selection in early-stage investing is crucial, as backing **exceptional founders** increases the likelihood of **securing subsequent funding rounds** and achieving **long-term success**.
* 📊 Overall, the interplay of technology, investment, and visionary founders shapes a promising future for space entrepreneurship, with the potential to **redefine humanity's relationship with the cosmos**.

We're not just talking about reusable
rockets here. We're talking about mining resources out
in space or on asteroids even. How do you get to visualize from a
founder that they can build a totally new ecosystem?
That is such a good question.

And, you know, I think that my
background in building high growth companies for the last almost nearly 15,
20 years here has really helped me to better understand, despite not being a
rocket scientist myself, what it really takes to build into the future and look
to the stars and really see a future for

humanity, but that most of us cannot.
And so understanding what it takes to be a great founder, whether you're
building, you know, a chocolate bar or a reusable rocket, there are some pretty,
pretty standard things that make a

founder fantastic.
What makes the business opportunity, or at least the valuation fantastic because
you are taking such, you know, a bigger scale risk in a way of whether or not
one can mine on in space rather than build a chocolate bar here on earth.
Right?

Well, you know, I think that's something
that's really interesting about the economy and the times that we're living
in today. You know, even five years ago, I think
that this was far too speculative for early stage companies, early stage VC
firms to be investing in these companies

at the earliest, earliest stages.
And so, you know, with SpaceX and Blue Origin who have been really charting the
path from the private sector so publicly, it really has allowed us to
better understand where the technology is today.
And I think for so long, you know, the

government between Nasser and then other scientists who really have been building behind that, that cloak behind the curtain, and all of that technology is finally coming to the forefront. And so for us, now that the technology is here, people, states, the infrastructure is here.

And so to place a bet on the table with the expectation that we might see history be made and some returns come back within the next ten years is not unreasonable at all. In many ways, SpaceX has been sucking up all the oxygen in the room, and many anticipate that with Iran's very close

relationship with the Trump administration, that might be helped from a regulatory perspective. But will that help stoke as well as the likes of SpaceX? Yeah, well, you know, I think the beautiful thing about being a startup is that you are much more agile, you are

much more nimble, and these founders are not scared of taking really big swings. That's the beauty of being an early stage founder. And it's the luxury, frankly, that SpaceX doesn't have anymore. And so while they have paved the way

for, you know, all of the obvious reasons, but really it's the youngest companies that are building now that are going to take advantage of that technology and really build things that, again, you know, when I look at the

night sky with my little boys, it's going to look much different for them. And and, you know, whether that's Astro Forge or Stock or Interloon, they're going to be the reason why is there is much committed capital to other areas.

For example, I'm thinking about you deploying money across Web3, across all across climate tech.
In many ways, when you're looking at the valuation of an AI company versus a SpaceX one, how competitive is it now? You know, it's really interesting.
Obviously, VC loves a good trend and a

good hype cycle.
But I really do think that while many VCs are looking to AI for the obvious reasons, they're also looking to detect in a way that they haven't before.
And I think an interesting trend is that you're seeing young generalist funds really come in and sit side by side on

cap tables with the expectation of some of these larger multi-stage firms coming in and carrying them through to the finish line. But I really do think that this is the moment and again, when you see a generalist start getting involved in deep tech, I think that that means that

there's something more than a trend happening. What are you seeing in terms of future fundraising opportunities as to whether the companies that you give a seed or very early stage investment to are being able to raise further rounds?
You're managing to see the increase in

the value of your fund that you've helped build. Absolutely.
I and I think that this is where the power of selection really comes into play. You know, my my partner, Alexis Ohanian, has quite the track record himself.


But really understanding, again, where that people component leads the product. And so for us, you know, early stage investing, there is a power law at play, of course.
But the expectation is that we will see these companies move on if we're investing in the very best founders.

We have no doubt that they're going to
be able to pick up those later rounds and really, really take it all the way.

Investing In the Business of Space With 776's Holloway

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Bloomberg Technology

Space resource mining and ecosystem building

Discussion on the vision of building a new ecosystem around space resource mining.

Speaker's experience in high-growth companies aids in understanding future space ventures.

Comparison of founding principles for diverse businesses, from chocolate bars to reusable rockets.

Analysis of the risk and valuation associated with space mining versus terrestrial businesses.

Shifting investment landscape in space technology

Recent changes in investment attitudes towards space exploration ventures.

Impact of SpaceX and Blue Origin on shaping the understanding of space technology's potential.

Technological advancements making space resource mining more feasible.

Assessment of the potential for returns on space mining investments within the next decade.

Advantages of startups in the space sector

Startups' agility and willingness to take risks compared to established companies like SpaceX.

SpaceX's role in paving the way for newer space companies.

The potential for future space exploration advancements by younger companies.

Mention of specific companies involved in space resource mining.

Comparison of investment in AI and space technology.

Increased involvement of generalist funds in deep tech investments.

Discussion on the success of early-stage investments in space tech companies.

Importance of selecting strong founders for successful investments.

Expectation of portfolio companies securing further funding rounds.

Confidence in the long-term success of invested companies.