Build A Space Business, Not Just Tech

If you only like the tech aspect of space — please become an engineer. Quite often I speak with people especially from some parts of the country where they are getting highly excited looking at the space industry developments around them. This is an excellent source of motivation. But here's the thing — if that excitement only translates to the aspiration of starting your own space company, you may be in trouble.

Space startups, old and new, build the space economy. Which means space startups are still companies that will have to figure out a way to build products that solve a problem for the market. And that market cannot be an imaginary one. Great R&D is an essential part of a space company, but it's not the only factor. If you want to become a founder, you have to think more about who your product serves, and a little less about how much you love the tech.

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Most often, engineers have the vision of becoming the space tech founder who is building the next gen tech to build a GPS system on Mars tomorrow. But what they forget is, to achieve that, they first have to build a company that is able to

1. sell this idea to another human (AFAIK AI hasn’t started buying/investing yet), and

2. build an interim product that can generate revenue.

Yes, space companies are supported by governments, national agencies, etc. but getting those grants also require you to prove your credibility, and not every company can survive just on grants. So like it or not, you have to embrace all sides of running a business. I'm not saying you have to do it alone, but you cannot shy away from understanding your customers and selling your products. Science and engineering students receive this conditioning that business is either unethical or done by people who aren't intelligent enough. Ask your favourite space tech founder what their daily job is. You will be surprised that being a CEO means getting new customers, running operations, etc. That's why most of them are such wonderful public speakers — they are able to convince others that space economy is worth building.

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If Marketing and Sales make you uncomfortable, think of it this way — every time you are preparing your resume, you are creating a marketing asset. Every time you pass an interview, you are closing a deal. Every time you write a grant proposal, you are writing a sales letter. There's nothing to get offended by this. Persuasion is a skill.

If the usual startup-investor terms overwhelm you, start by simply understanding why you are building a space company. If the answer is only because you love the tech and you can get away by keeping the CTO title, think again. You need to understand the industry from a business perspective, and if you don't, tomorrow you will start a company where your employees are already planning to build their own ventures, and you will keep wondering why you aren't getting the contracts. What is your vision of a space startup? Let us know in the comments below!

Lifestyle & Cosmos is a blog by Sustainaverse to bring together conversations on fashion, conscious living, digital wellness, entrepreneurship, and space exploration.

Read this article on spacecareers.substack.com