Voices of the Space Economy

Rick Tumlinson

One of the most influential figures in the commercial space revolution. Rick Tumlinson co-founded the Space Frontier Foundation, Deep Space Industries, and Orbital Outfitters, and has spent three decades championing the human expansion into space. A TechStars Space mentor and SpaceFund partner, he is the movement's most compelling evangelist.

Jim Bridenstine

Jim Bridenstine served as the 13th Administrator of NASA (2018–2021), overseeing the launch of the Artemis program and accelerating commercial crew and cargo partnerships. A former U.S. Navy combat pilot and Oklahoma Congressman, he is a defining voice in the intersection of national security, space policy, and the emerging lunar economy.

Nancy Conrad

Nancy Conrad founded the Conrad Foundation to honor the extraordinary life of her late husband, astronaut Pete Conrad. For over 20 years she has championed critical thinking, innovation, and entrepreneurship through the Conrad Challenge — a global student competition that has reached tens of thousands of young innovators across six continents.

Guillermo Sohnlein

Guillermo Sohnlein is a serial entrepreneur and explorer who co-founded OceanGate, the first private company to operate manned submersible expeditions to the Titanic. His current focus is the Humans2Venus Foundation, making the case for a permanent human presence in the upper atmosphere of Venus as the next great frontier of deep-space exploration.

Tom Markusic

Dr. Tom Markusic is one of the most credentialed rocket propulsion engineers on Earth — having worked at NASA, the U.S. Air Force, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin before founding Firefly Aerospace. His company has become a leading small-to-medium launch vehicle provider, with the Alpha rocket now reliably reaching orbit on commercial missions.

Phil Metzger

Dr. Phil Metzger is a planetary physicist at the University of Central Florida and one of the world's foremost experts on space resource utilization. He co-founded NASA Kennedy Space Center's Swamp Works innovation lab, where he led research on lunar and planetary regolith, rocket exhaust plume physics, and off-world construction. He serves on the Blue Origin Science Advisory Board and is a defining voice on how humanity will mine and build on the Moon.