At 24, Craig Benson led a squadron of aircraft and 100 personnel for the RAAF. Today, he’s co-founder of Skykraft — delivering the world’s first space-based VHF communication system for air traffic management, especially in remote and oceanic regions.

With $100M+ in funding and a bold partnership between Australia and India, Skykraft is proving that world-first innovation can be built in Canberra and scaled globally.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Leadership lessons from the military
• The importance of robustness over absolute performance, particularly for Space Tech
• How to build resilience — and when it’s time to quit

Chapters

(00:00) Intro

(00:16) Craig’s Air Force Background

(03:20) Founding Skykraft

(04:22) Finding a CEO

(08:33) From Problem to Product

(18:21) What Makes a Strong Founder

(26:36) Culture That Embraces Failure

(38:57) Made in Australia

(45:33) Monopsony Risks

(48:52) Craig on the Future

(55:31) Final Thoughts + Internships

Learn more:

Skykraft: https://www.skykraft.com.au/

Craig Benson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcraigbenson/

News coverage of Skykraft’s $100M+ raise: https://www.afr.com/technology/big-money-is-back-as-space-tech-start-up-raises-120m-20231013-p5ec69