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Finding Genius SeriesAuthor: Kunal Mehta
The Finding Genius Series focuses on expanding Kunal Mehtas Book: Finding Genius. Here you will find interviews with Kunal and distinct contributors to venture capital. You will hear their perspective on the future of industries that they are investing in. Additionally, you will hear from CEOs, politicians, and other highly sophisticated individuals from the industry. To keep up to date, subscribe to Kunals Substack Channel. Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Delian Asparouhov: Varda Industries
Episode 14
Tuesday, 12 October, 2021
Trinet works with some of the most exciting small businesses in the country by providing exceptional medical benefits and world-class technology – web-based, mobile, and internal systems/processes, that positively impacts clients and their employees. Please reach out to RaeEllen Zekas (raeellen.zekas@trinet.com) to learn more. First Republic has extensive experience working with PE and VC firms. We understand the complex nature of this business and the sense of urgency that accompanies it. Through our skilled team of industry experts and a suite of specialized products, we can quickly meet your firm’s goals. Please reach out to Kyle Gross (kgross@firstrepublic.com) to learn more For several years, Delian has invested alongside Keith Rabois, first at Khosla Ventures and now at Founders Fund. In our discussion, we spoke about Varda, a company with a bold mission to build factories in space where novel products can be developed in a zero-gravity environment. Beyond venture capital, Asparouhov’s ambitions and fascinations lie in the commercialization of space. Delian partnered with Will Bruey, a former Space-X engineer to found Varda. Bruey’s background is deeply technical with experience in building and operating spacecraft for over a decade. Bruey was a hardware engineer on the Crew Dragon, head of mission control on 8 of the ISS missions, and has dealt with the design and construction of spacecraft for Space-X. The concept of a space factory may seem futuristic, but Delian breaks down the research that reveals the immense potential of space manufacturing and how he and Bruey are de-risking this endeavor. Research projects have shown the benefits of manufacturing in zero gravity across drug discovery, semiconductors, and fiber optic cables. In one example, human organ 3D-Printing on Earth is complex and costly. Organs are printed with thin walls and gravity makes the walls collapse. In Space, this technical challenge is lifted by operating in a microgravity environment. Varda aims to build factories where the laws of physics are entirely different than factories on Earth, where every manufacturing process is predicated on operating in a gravity field. When Varda factories are operational, Delian envisions a future of a low orbit economy in space with Gas Depots, Space Taxis/Tugs, Space Tourism, and Varda supporting the development and manufacturing of cancer drugs, 3D Organs, semiconductors, and more. Varda raised a $9m round with Josh Wolf of Lux Capital, Trae Stephens of Founders Fund, and Naval Ravikant. For more Finding Genius Content: https://findinggenius.substack.com/
