Shows
Shawn Ryan Show#226 Matt Gialich - Debunking Aliens in the Ocean, Mining Asteroids and Black HolesMatt Gialich is the Co-Founder and CEO of AstroForge, an asteroid mining company founded in 2022 that aims to extract platinum group metals from near-Earth asteroids to redefine sustainable mining practices. With over a decade of experience leading high-performing engineering teams, Gialich holds a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
His career began at Toyon Research Corporation as an analyst developing novel navigation algorithms, followed by key roles at Virgin Orbit, where he led the flight software and GNC teams and oversaw avionics development. He later served as Director of Vehicle Software at B...
2025-08-111h 49
Pirates OnlyFrom Cosmos to Quarries: Asteroid Mining, Autonomous Drilling, and the Trillion-Dollar Metals OpportunityIn our latest Pirates Only adventure, we trade surfboards for star-ships and jackhammers for ion thrusters, asking a deceptively simple question: what happens when you treat the whole Solar System like one giant opportunity? To find out, I sit down with two founders who are attacking humanity’s metals bottleneck from opposite directions.Matthew Gialich, co-founder & CEO of AstroForge, believes platinum-group metals are too valuable to keep digging out of Earth's diesel-powered pits. His answer is to send small, replicable spacecraft to near-Earth asteroids, vaporize the regolith, magnetically separate the PGMs, and haul home billions.Te...
2025-06-241h 02
The Jim Motavalli Interview PodcastAsteroid Mining: Matt Gialich and Astroforge Make it RealAstroforge is going after rare metals like platinum on near-Earth asteroids, hitching rides on the Falcon 9 and other rockets.
2025-06-1315 min
Roid RageOdin't: A Complete Debrief of Our Deep Space MissionIn Episode 2, we break down the mission to Odin—what worked, what failed, and what we learned. CEO Matt Gialich and COO Robyn Ringuette pull no punches, revealing the brutal realities of deep-space exploration, the risks no one talks about, and why failure is just another step toward history. Buckle up—this is transparency like you’ve never heard in the space industry before.
2025-03-0746 min
Just Another Space Podcast: The Politics, Policy, Funding & Markets of the Space IndustryEpisode 2: Get Rich Mining Asteroids or Die Trying w/ AstroForge CEO Matt GialichIn this episode, hosts Tom Culligan and Clayton Swope talk with Matt Gialich, the Co-Founder and CEO of AstroForge, to discuss the future of asteroid mining and the commercial space economy. They explore Matt's journey from working at Virgin Orbit to building scooters at Bird to founding AstroForge. The conversation delves into what makes Space Mining 2.0 different than AstroForge's predecessors, the technological innovations that enable asteroid mining today and the competitive landscape. Matt shares insights on what it takes to start a space company that has a lot of "firsts" and the future missions planned for AstroForge.
2025-02-1857 min
Crazy WisdomEpisode #422: Mining the Stars: The Future of Resources with Matthew GialichOn this episode of the Crazy Wisdom Podcast, host Stewart Alsop chats with Matthew Gialich, co-founder and CEO of AstroForge, about the fascinating world of asteroid mining. They explore how advances in technology and reduced launch costs are enabling humanity to tap into the untapped resources of metallic asteroids, the challenges of deep space operations, and the long-term vision for making asteroid mining economically viable. Listeners can follow AstroForge for updates on LinkedIn and Twitter, and connect with Matthew directly for inquiries on his LinkedIn or at matt@astroforge.io.Check out this GPT we trained on...
2024-12-3053 min
Off-Nominal177 - Sudafed and Rockstars (with Matt Gialich)Jake and Anthony are joined by Matt Gialich, Founder and CEO of AstroForge, to talk about asteroid mining. Yep, we’re doing the asteroid mining show.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 177 - Sudafed and Rockstars (with Matt Gialich) - YouTubeAstroForgeAgainst all odds, an asteroid mining company appears to be making headway - Ars TechnicaWhy is AstroForge mining asteroids? - YouTubeFollow MattMatthew Gialich (@MattGialich) / XMatthew Gialich | LinkedInFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWe...
2024-12-061h 00
The Bearhug Experience(Funding Recap #20) Bearhug Recruiting's Early & Growth Stage Tech Startup Funding Recap! 8/26/24Here’s this week’s startup funding recap:
1. Trunk Tools, led by Sarah Buchner, has raised a $20 million Series A funding round. Trunk Tools offers an AI platform that automates construction workflows, using AI agents to manage tasks and prevent delays or budget overruns.
2. Allstacks, led by Hersh Tapadia, has raised $10 million in Series A funding. Allstacks provides a predictive forecasting platform for software development, using AI to identify at-risk projects and ensure timely delivery.
3. Power to Hydrogen, led by Dr. Paul Matter, has raised $18 million in funding. Power to Hydrogen develops advanced elec...
2024-10-2408 min
Valley of DepthPlatinum or Bust, with Matt Gialich (CEO of AstroForge)This week on Pathfinder, we welcome back Matt Gialich, cofounder and CEO of AstroForge, to discuss the company’s plans to mine platinum group metals from near-Earth asteroids and its recent Series A funding. In this episode, Matt provides updates on AstroForge’s upcoming missions, the challenges of developing a cost-effective method for extracting and refining space resources, and how the company is addressing the technical complexities of deep space exploration. He also delves into the specifics of the $40 million Series A round, which will support AstroForge's next two missions, and how the company is balancing risk with...
2024-09-1056 min
The Lobster Talks Podcast by Lobster CapitalAstroforge - The Future of Mining in Space, a Conversation With Founder Matt Gialich on Low-Cost Asteroid Mining | Episode 16What if mining for valuable minerals could be done in space with a smaller environmental impact and at a lower cost?
In this episode of The Lobster Talks by Lobster Capital, Gabriel Jarrosson interviews Matt Gialich, the founder and CEO of AstroForge, a company focused on mining asteroids to extract valuable minerals in space at a lower cost and smaller carbon footprint than the current mining methods. Matt shares his journey from working at Bird Rides and the Jet Propulsion Lab to founding AstroForge, inspired by the challenges of sourcing platinum for microchips and the limitations of t...
2024-07-1134 min
The Founder Initiative[$13M Raised] YC Space Tech startup, how they got funded; AstroForge's Founder, Matt Gialich(00:03:44) "The hardest thing for any founder to do is actually do it...it's really easy to convince yourself that it's stupid and that it's wrong and that your idea makes no sense and that you can do it somewhere else. And almost none of the metrics, if you were to draw a column of pros and cons, you're probably never going to have more pros and cons to start a business. And that, I think, is the biggest challenge, is you have to go against everything you're taught, everything you know, and take this massive risk that may not pay...
2024-01-0912 min
Behind the Scenes with BryanEpisode 140: A conversation with Matthew Gialich from AstroforgeMatt is the co-Founder and CEO at AstroForge, an ambitious company who was partnered with Elon Musk's SpaceX in hopes of mining platinum group metals from a near-earth asteroid. Matt and I discuss this seemingly sci-fi journey into space mining.
2023-11-3028 min
The Times Tech PodcastAstroForge's Matt Gialich: "We can eradicate mining on earth” The Sunday Times’ tech correspondent Danny Fortson brings on Matt Gialich, founder of AstroForge, to talk about what he did before attempting asteroid mining (3:40), working at Virgin Orbit (6:00), what he learned at Bird, the struggling scooter company (8:05), jumping to asteroid mining (10:30), the problem with platinum (13:40), targeting metal-rich asteroids (15:40), the first launch (20:45), the space revolution (21:40), raising money (24:20), trying to do a submarine startup before asteroids (27:10), coming from a family of teachers (30:45), the upcoming mission to deep space (32:45), and how the miners have reacted (35:00). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-07-1438 min
Valley of DepthMining Asteroids, with Matt Gialich (AstroForge)Today’s Pathfinder episode features AstroForge cofounder and CEO Matt Gialich. The CA-based startup is developing technology to mine asteroids for platinum group metals. The company plans to use an uncrewed spacecraft to extract and refine the metals directly on the asteroid before returning to Earth with a sellable metal.Why platinum? The platinum group metals have unique physical and chemical properties that make them critical to everything from catalytic converters to electronics. According to Gialich, the US has a dwindling supply of platinum group ore reserves, and Russia and China control a significant supply of global st...
2023-07-1154 min
High BitTroubleshooting Space Engineering with AstroForge’s Jose AcainIn this episode of High Bit, Jose walks us through the challenges of troubleshooting a complex problem encountered during the pre-launch testing of a space-bound asteroid mining refinery. Using a real-life example, he illustrates the application of a fishbone diagram and the necessity of methodical problem-solving, even under extreme time pressure.
Topics:
1:41 What is AstroForge?
7:13 How Jose Met His Cofounder Matt Gialich
13:18 Using a Fishbone Diagram to Find the Root Cause of a Problem
15:01 The "Holy Shit" Moment When a Launch Does Not Go According to Plan
20:37...
2023-06-2230 min
Ayush Prakash PodcastHow Mining Asteroids Will Change Everything - Matt Gialich | Gen Z Diplomat Podcast 59Matt Gialich is the Co-Founder and CEO of AstroForge, a startup aiming to make resources found in space more accessible on Earth by mining asteroids.
This episode will teach you what the benefits of asteroid mining are, how AstroForge is planning to mine asteroids, why SpaceX is so important for the entire industry, what asteroid mining means for climate change, a common misconception of asteroid mining and lots more in the 59th episode of the Gen Z Diplomat podcast.
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MATT'S LINKS:
Website: https://www.astroforge.io
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2023-05-1226 min
This Week in StartupsMining asteroids with AstroForge CEO Matthew Gialich | E1736AstroForge CEO Matthew Gialich joins Jason to discuss his startup’s lofty goal of mining Platinum Group Metals from asteroids (1:11). They discuss the recent launch of their Brokkr-1 space vehicle, the company’s road map to gather PGMs successfully from space, and SpaceX’s impact on the space industry (5:42). Then, Founder University’s Kelly Schricker gives a presentation on how to set up a fundraising process for your startup (31:51).
(0:00) AstroForge’s Matthew Gialich joins Jason
(1:11) The purpose of mining asteroids
(5:42) Brokkr-1 mission
(10:38) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first...
2023-05-0545 min
First Move with Julia ChatterleyFeatured interview: AI pioneer Yoshua BengioChatter about ChatGPT has soared this year. Now, a group of AI leaders and tech executives -- Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak among them -- has released a letter calling for a six-month pause in certain paths of development, citing potential risks to society and humanity. It comes just two weeks after the firm OpenAI announced an even-more-powerful version of its rival chatbot tool. Joining Julia to discuss is AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio, another signee of the letter.
Also on today's show: Matt Gialich, CEO of AstroForge, a mining startup hoping its refining process can work on as...
2023-03-3047 min
Space Business PodcastSpace Business Podcast #94 Matt Gialich, AstroForge: Asteroid MiningAsteroid mining – do I really need to say anything else to get you excited and curious about listening to this episode? My guest is Matt Gialich, the co-founder and CEO of AstroForge, an LA-based startup. Over a decade on from when the last asteroid mining companies started, AstroForge successfully raised a sizable seed round last year. Asteroid mining is back - hear all about it in this episode, enjoy!
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2023-03-2443 min
Unlimited PartnersMatt Gialich (Co Founder/CEO of AstroForge) & Joe Wilson (Founder of Undeterred Capital) | Day One Partners on a Mission That Could Change EverythingThis week's Unlimited Partners are Matt Gialich and Joe Wilson, Co-Founder at AstroForge and MP at Undeterred Capital respectively. Matt had been working on a submarine project and decided to pivot to freaking astro mining! How cool is that? Joe and Undeterred stepped into become the first investors on the cap table. This is an amazing conversation. How did they get funding? How does Matt know this can work? Oh man we think this is one of our favorite convos we've had to date. If this company is successful it would easily be one of the wealthiest on the...
2022-11-091h 43
Homeroom PodcastEp. 59 - Matt GialichMatt Gialich is the co-founder and CEO of AstroForge, an asteroid mining company.
2022-08-3023 min
Multiplanetary SocietyAstroForge CEO Matt Gialich on Mining in SpaceIn this episode we speak with AstroForge CEO Matt Gialich. We discuss how he plans to bring platinum from asteroids back to earth, the future of the space economy, and what it takes to build a successful company in this sector. If you have feedback or ideas for future guests, please email us at multiplanetarysociety@gmail.com.
2022-08-1631 min