I got to host the Space Academy at Capital Factory in Austin
One is on the moon, one is there next Sunday, and one has spent 244 days in space on ISS. My inner space nerd went “over the moon” when I got to host the Space Academy at Capital Factory in Austin on Friday. To stand with Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace, Tim Crain, CTO of Intuitive Machines, and NASA Astronaut Tim Kopra, CEO of Starlab alongside Nina Shelat was a moment I won’t forget for a long time.
Capital Factory’s Space Academy was a day filled with top leaders shaping the future of space. Texas is rapidly cementing itself as a leader in commercial, military, and civil aerospace innovation, and the discussions at this event only reinforced that momentum.
Key takeaways:
🚀 Norman Garza, Jr. & Brad Morrison led an insightful discussion on Texas’ role in space, exploring how the state is driving investment, infrastructure, and innovation.
🚀 My fireside chat with Bill Woolf (Call sign Hippie) was a deep dive into his vision for building out the Space Force Association to represent the needs of our nation’s newest military branch.
🚀 Col Omar Perea and Arthur Grijalva from SpaceWERX laid out a great roadmap for working with the Space Force.
🚀 Eric McManus is doing critical work at the Texas Space Alliance, attracting legislative attention to support companies fueling the space economy.
🚀 Joe Guzman is tackling one of the biggest challenges in space — cleaning it up. His work focuses on making space safer for satellites, cybersecurity, and human exploration.
🚀 A huge thank you to David Grover, Lt. Col. Theresa Kopecky, and Merrick Garb for sharing their expertise and shedding light on the evolving landscape of national security and commercial partnerships in space.
Shout out to Dr. Leon Vanstone, my co-founder in Space Workforce Incubator for Texas (SWIFT) for spending the day.
We could not have done it without the Capital Factory Dreamteam, special thanks to Nina Shelat, Mary Gwinn, and Niyati Modha.
You can always tell when you have a great event because the afterparty is packed and people continue to talk!
This investment in our space industry is real — and growing fast. Texas is at the forefront, and I’m honored to be part of this journey as a thought leader and connector in the space ecosystem. Can’t wait to see what’s next!
