Cold Star Project

Cold Star Project

By Jason KaniganBusiness
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Cold Star Project episodes

  • Mike Lawton - Developing Early Stage Space Startups - Cold Star Project S03E10

    Barclay's Bank UK Start-Up Entrepreneur 2018 for the progress and achievements of Oxford Space Systems, and founder of Oxford Dynamics, Mike Lawton joins us on the Cold Star Project. With host Jason Kanigan, Mike discusses the challenges of developing early stage space startups, including:

    • Other than the obvious lifeblood of cash, what other measures have you noticed as important in early stage, high tech businesses?
    • You say you get “things wrong slightly less often than I get them right”. When do you know you’ve “gotten things wrong”? What are the indicators and how have you learned to see them sooner?
    • What do you believe drives technological innovation? Eg. marketplace vs personal interest?
    • What other organizations are you watching in UK NewSpace?
    • You mention “the 'dark arts' of raising finance for tech businesses”... explain what this means.   


      • Oxford Dynamics website: https://oxdynamics.com/   


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      35 min
    • Christopher Johnson - The Need for Engagement and Outcomes In Space Law - Cold Star Project S02E61

      Space lawyer Christopher Johnson from the Secure World Foundation is back on the Cold Star Project, and we're looking at what he has learned this year. Christopher has hosted several Moon Dialog Research Salons and gotten tremendous public input and engagement on space issues. With host Jason Kanigan, he discusses:

      • What he learned from the salons
      • What differences he noted in platforms used, behaviors and outcomes in public engagement with actor/agency/government versus the public
      • What’s needed to move forward with space law engagement and outcomes; what that looks like as you’ve seen so far, in terms of process and outcome
      • Incentive versus punishment, carrot vs stick, when it comes to issues like orbital debris control: which do we need most?
      • What updates do we need most to Outer Space Treaty areas?
      • What are his expectations for the Summit for Space Sustainability hosted by the Secure World Foundation beginning 9 September 2020?   


        • Secure World Foundation website: https://swfound.org/


        Get new episodes directly in your inbox: https://www.coldstartech.com/msb  Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

        50 min
      • Jean Paul Carnicer - Pitfalls In Spacecraft Bus Engineering - Cold Star Project S02E60

        Telecan Space founder Jean Paul Carnicer is on the Cold Star Project, and our topic is pitfalls in spacecraft bus engineering. With host Jason Kanigan, Paul answers:

        • What’s the most important thing to keep in mind when designing a spacecraft bus? Is there something people NOT engineering the bus tend to forget or overlook when they’re coming up with design requirements?
        • Who are the courses listed on the website for; what kind of person best benefits from them; what does the investment range look like?
        • How common is outside testing of spacecraft? Do you find resistance to the idea of an outsider testing something they designed?
        • Satellite Program Monitoring… how often are subcontractors holding up the project schedule? What issues do you typically find with the launch vehicle agency?
        • In a world of engineers working to get funding to develop capabilities, what do you wish new founders would know about starting up a space business?
        • What issues do you commonly encounter in contract negotiations with launch vehicle procurement?   


          • Telecan Space website: https://www.telecanspace.com/


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          Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

          26 min
        • Eldrige de Melo - An Introduction To Ground Station Operations - Cold Star Project S02E59

          Angolan ground station operator, and now Project Manager intern at Airbus, Eldrige de Melo is on the Cold Star Project. With host Jason Kanigan we discuss how space ground stations operate. Eldrige answers:

          what do we mean by the term “ground stations”? Is this all about communications, or does it include passive operations like image gathering?

          how do ground stations operate? What kind of systems are typically used & what data is gathered? How are humans involved (when is a human decision necessary)?

          what does a typical “problem day” look like at the Angolan Space Program Management Office?

          what do you think the impact of autonomous satellites will be on ground operators?

          is there a technology or problem solving system that you believe would strongly improve ground station operations?

          how closely do you pay attention to frequency allocations and the activities of organizations like the International Telecommunication Union and WRC conferences?

          what kind of training do you need to become a ground station operations specialist?   


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          40 min
        • Egbert van der Veen - Strategy and Innovation In Space Investing - Cold Star Project S03E09

          Head of Strategy and Managing Director Venture Capital at OHB Group since 2013 Egbert van der Veen is on the Cold Star Project. Prior to this role, Egbert was Project Lead at the German Aerospace Center for 4 years, working with DLR, ESA, EC and writing advisory reports on technology development trends. Continuing our discussion with investors who fund space companies, host Jason Kanigan asks:

          • Your scientific topic while working at DLR was forecasting disruptive space technologies. What did you learn and how does that influence your point of view out in the business world?
          • How did you land the role of Managing Director of OHB VC?
          • Your scientific career focused on innovation management in addition to space engineering. What does that allow you to bring to investing analysis and decisions that other VCs might not have?
          • Tell us about a project or two you did with DLR and their results. What does that experience make you watch out for in future projects?
          • In your “scouting” role, what do you look for in space companies? What would be the ideal discovery?
          • What has your experience with space companies been like? What state do they typically arrive at your firm? Any insights on the point of view of the founders themselves? Internal operations of companies seeking investment? Their achievement or lack thereof of product-market fit?
          • A lot of VCs talk about “capturing the value chain”, yet this is a concept many founders miss in their laser focus on their technical capability. What advice do you have for space founders in regards to taking a step back and viewing the whole value chain?   


            • OHB Group Venture Capital website: https://www.ohb-vc.de/


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            Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall



            37 min
          • Jess Sponable - Reusable Launch, Pete Conrad, and DARPA - Cold Star Project S02E58

            2X past DARPA Program Manager Jess Sponable is on the Cold Star Project to share his experiences and aspirations in the space industry. With host Jason Kanigan, our topics cover the development of reusable launch technology, a colorful character (#3 to walk on the Moon) named Pete Conrad and Jess' interactions with him, and DARPA. Our conversation was submitted to and approved for public release by the USAF.   


            US Air Force approval document: https://coldstarproject.com/jesssponableairforce   


            Pete Conrad wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Conrad


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            Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

            30 min
          • Annabelle Beckwith - Growing Your Business from $3-$10MM with Yara Journeys - Cold Star Project

            Yara Journeys founder Annabelle Beckwith is on the Cold Star Project to share her experience and vision of helping founders and their leadership teams move their businesses from $3 to $10 million (pounds as well!). With host Jason Kanigan she discusses:  

            • Who is your ideal client? Why do you want to work with them specifically?
            • What indicators of values, culture, KPIs do you believe are most important? How common/uncommon are these?
            • What operations problems do you typically see, showing potential clients need your help? Do they know they have them, or do you have to show them?
            • What’s the most frustrating issue you’ve encountered in the marketplace over and over again, that you would change if you could wave a magic wand?  

              • and some client situations she's been most helpful in improving results of.   


              Yara Journeys website: https://yara-journeys.com/   


              Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

              31 min
            • Jason Aspiotis - Giving The Retail Investor Access To The Space Economy Through Finsophy-CSP S03E08

              Finsophy PBC Founder & CEO Jason Aspiotis is on the Cold Star Project. With host Jason Kanigan, he's sharing his vision for retail investors to invest in the space economy while using banking services they would already be using anyway. Jason answers: 

              What is your long-term view for Space economy growth? What are the driving factors for economic growth? 

              What is the role of the retail investor in the Space economy?

              What are some ways retail investors could become more involved in supporting the Space economy in the near future?

              What is the role of banks and other large and/or regulated financial institutions (FIs) in the Space economy?

              What barriers of entry exist to getting banks and large FIs more vested in deploying capital into the Space economy?

              What could the US government, or other governments, do to incentivize larger participation by private capital sources?   


              Finsophy website: https://www.finsophy.com/  


              Space Vault website: https://www.spacevault.world/  


              National Space Development Corp white paper by Jason Aspiotis: https://coldstarproject.com/jasonaspiotispaper1  


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              Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

              56 min
            • Artemis Westenberg - Getting There With Explore Mars - Cold Star Project S02E57

              President emerita of Explore Mars Inc. & CEO of Explore Mars Europe Artemis Westenberg joins host Jason Kanigan on the Cold Star Project. What's the truth about the American public's interest in going to Mars? Why should we go there at all? How is private industry likely to get involved?  We dig into the political and technological issues necessary to overcome to go to Mars, and what Explore Mars is doing to promote those actions. Artemis also discusses the role of women in the space industry.   


              Explore Mars website: https://www.exploremars.org/   


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              Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

              50 min
            • Paul Rulkens - Developing A High Performance Culture In Your Space Company-Cold Star Project S02E56

              Agrippa Consulting president and TEDx speaker Paul Rulkens is on the Cold Star Project to talk about high performance culture. What does it take to achieve, and how can space founders create one? Host Jason Kanigan asks Paul:

              • How has your education and experience as a process engineer affected your views on business and company culture/change?
              • Other than Jay Abraham, who has a different take on the concept than you, you’re the only other person I’ve seen strongly promoting the strategy of Preeminence. What does Preeminence mean to you?
              • How do you encourage others to use Preeminence as a positioning strategy? What does it mean for execution/fulfillment/delivery? How does Preeminence impact operations?
              • You’ve developed the concept of Strategic Quitting. What is this and how do you apply it? Are there any circumstances where it would be a BAD idea?
              • Let’s dig into “High performance culture”: What do you mean by the phrase?
              • Is it actually achievable by organizations, or a pipe dream sold by management consultants?
              • How do you recommend leaders start on the development of a high performance culture? Or should it somehow “organically develop”?
              • How dependent on hiring great people is a high performance culture?
              • Managing change seems to be a big part of what you help organizations with. BUT: Is that even a term you use? What kind of process do you use to go about it, even if under another name or conceptual framework? Can you share some horror stories and successes in the field? What should leaders be looking for as red or green flags?



                • Agrippa Consulting, Paul Rulkens High Performance Mastermind, Keynote Speaker website: https://paulrulkens.com/


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                41 min

              About Cold Star Project

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              The Cold Star Project digs into the challenges of scaling fast that tech and Space manufacturing founders encounter. Money does not solve all problems--so what now? Listen in to discover what scaling…