“ It ’ s great to see they are ushering in a new era for human space travel with the New Shepard crew capsule , launching July 20th .
And speaking of investments , now is a great time to be seeking capital , Rich said , with scores of institutional investors , special purpose acquisition companies and big-money private investors all putting money into space ventures .
“ The space environment right now could not be in a firmer footing ,” Rich said . “ We ’ re pretty thrilled about that . There ’ s never been a better time in history for funding great companies .”
Rich should know : Before founding Xplore , she founded Hemisphere Ventures , a venture capital fund that has invested in 30 different space companies , including Axiom Space , which is taking private citizens to the space ISS on the SpaceX crew capsule later this year .
People who need people
The one big challenge Xplore faces , Rich said , is finding the right human capital to invest in .
“ Our number one goal is attracting the talent that we need to be ramping up our team ,” she said .
While the talent is here in the Northwest , those talented people already are employed . Rich said , “ If they aren ’ t looking for a job they might not know about the incredible opportunities we offer to make space history .”
To address that , Xplore is making an aggressive pitch to potential key hires : We ’ re a small company doing big things ; come join us .
“ We ’ re attracting a team where our employees aren ’ t cogs in the wheel ,” she said .
“ We ’ re a more-mature early-stage company . We are founders who know what we ’ re doing and are providing a chance to work with an exceptional team . We have a 20-year history of running and operating successful businesses , so we are here for the long-term , and are the ones to watch .”
XPLORE ®
XPLORE Redmond , Washington https :// www . xplore . com For additional information or business opportunities , please contact : Lisa Rich - Founder , Xplore Inc - Space As A Service ® Email : lisa . rich @ xplore . com
AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2021 ISSUE NO . 22 41