Joshua Western is the co-founder and CEO of Space Forge, a groundbreaking company combining space technology and semiconductor manufacturing to create next-generation materials.
In this inaugural episode of Rockets & Radars, Joshua takes us on the inspiring journey of Space Forge — from bootstrapping in a tiny garage in the UK to raising one of Europe’s largest space-tech seed rounds and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space manufacturing.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction and Setting the Scene
(02:36) Spaceforge: Mission and Vision
(05:02) Founding Spaceforge: The Origin Story
(08:15) Breaking into the Space Industry
(15:45) Early Challenges and Funding Journey
(25:16) Navigating the Deep Tech Investment Landscape
(26:34) Strategic Fundraising Lessons
(32:49) Cultural Values and Team Building
(40:45) Expanding Internationally: Challenges and Insights
(46:10) Future Vision and Final Thoughts
In this episode, we discuss:
1. The Early Days: How Joshua and his co-founder turned a garage lab into a global space-tech company.
2. Fundraising Insights: Navigating angel investments, non-dilutive grants, and building relationships with top-tier VCs.
3. Scaling Up: Challenges of rapid growth and creating a strong team culture.
4. Space Forge’s Mission: How manufacturing in space can solve Earth’s most pressing challenges.