Webinar
Pioneering the Final Frontier: A Conversation with Leaders of Cutting-Edge Space, Satellite and Infrastructure Companies
Watch this on-demand exploration of the final frontier and the exciting startups leading the way. Our exclusive webinar invites you to hear from esteemed space industry leaders for an in-depth analysis of the sector’s remarkable growth and development.
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Delve into compelling industry developments including the exponential rise in private space endeavors and satellite proliferation. Gain unique insights into the future of space and infrastructure as our panel of visionary CEOs and executives unveils the boundless potential within this exciting realm with vast potential for today’s startups to be instrumental players in the long term.
Your host, Managing Partner of the Alumni Ventures Deep Tech Fund Matt Caspari was joined by John Serafini, CEO of HawkEye 360 which provides a precise mapping of radio frequency emissions to reveal previously invisible knowledge about activities around the world; Lisa Rich, COO of Xplore, a first-of-its-kind low Earth orbit satellite constellation designed to deliver a new class of innovative services; and Dr. Michael Baine, Chief Engineer at Axiom Space who are making the possibilities of Low Earth Orbit accessible.
Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
Note: You must be accredited to invest in venture capital. Important disclosure information can be found at av-funds.com/disclosures.
About your presenters
Overview
Matt Caspari invests in mission-driven founders building the next generation of iconic companies—entrepreneurs tackling the world’s hardest, highest-stakes problems. He backs breakthrough technologies with the potential to redefine critical industries, unlock new markets, and create a more sustainable, secure future.
Before Alumni Ventures, Matt was a two-time venture-backed founder/CEO and a leader of the innovation team at Nike. He founded Aurora Biofuels, a deep-tech venture that grew to 100+ employees and secured more than $100 million in funding before its acquisition by Reliance Industries. Earlier, he advised life science multinationals at Cambridge Pharma Consultancy (acquired by IMS Health) and gained experience on Bloomberg’s M&A team. Matt holds a BS in Biochemistry from Georgetown University and an MBA with a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from UC Berkeley.
Funds actively worked on
Investment Area of Focus
His investment lens favors bold solutions to global challenges and durable advantages rooted in technology and aligned with long-term megatrends. This translates to surgical robots powered by physical AI, next-generation energy systems, space-based infrastructure, longevity therapeutics, and more. The through-line is the potential for extraordinary value creation at the intersection of deep science and global need.
Representative investments Matt has led for Alumni Ventures include Andromeda Surgical and Cytronic (Physical AI); Arda Therapeutics and Cambrian Biopharma (Technologies for the Human Body); Max Space and Orbital Operations (Space Infrastructure); and Fortera and Mainspring Energy (The New Energy Stack). Alumni Ventures’ Deep Tech portfolio also includes companies such as Axiom Space, Ayar Labs, Cohere, Frore Systems, Groq, Hawkeye360, Hayden AI, Lambda, Radiant, and Rigetti (Nasdaq: RGTI).
CEO HawkEye 360
John has over a decade of experience investing in and leading national security-oriented technology companies. John is presently the CEO of HawkEye 360, the leading developer of space-based radio frequency (RF) collection, mapping, and analytic capabilities. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Allied Minds where he led the formation, financing, and management of HawkEye 360, along with other Allied Minds companies such as BridgeSat, Federated Wireless, and Percipient Networks (WatchGuard acquired). A former Airborne Ranger-qualified U.S. Army infantry officer, John is a graduate of the US Military Academy, Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
COO Xplore
Lisa Rich is a successful serial entrepreneur, investor, strategist and communicator and thought-leader who entered the space industry in 2014 to accelerate sustainable, strategy-driven businesses that positively impact the environment, STEM education, national security, and advance the $1T space economy. She is Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Xplore, a commercial space services company using its high-capability multi-sensor platform to store, transmit data, achieve data fusion and on orbit processing.
Chief Engineer Axiom Space
A veteran of NASA’s human spaceflight programs over the past two decades, Dr. Michael Baine is Axiom Space’s Chief Engineer/Chief Designer. He oversees the technical design and design philosophy behind the Axiom Station, which will serve as humanity’s next-generation home in space. Prior to joining Axiom, Michael was Chief Engineering at Intuitive Machines, whose development of planetary landers was an outgrowth of NASA’s Project Morpheus – on which he also served as Chief Engineer. His NASA career also included technical roles in power, propulsion, and test & verification across Shuttle, Station, Orion and advance development hardware projects.