
Spotting what's next: AI '13, SpaceX '17, space-bio '22. Founder E2MC · Chairman $SAAQ · Co-founder Prometheus Life Tech · Host @podcast_space
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Joined May 2016
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I gave a short interview on our space investing
cyclopspacetech.substack.com…
63 years ago yesterday, Parisian stray Félicette became the first and only CAT in space: a 13-minute hop to ~157 km on a French rocket. Sadly, she was put down afterwards so scientists could study her brain. She never got a say, so the least we can do is remember her.
Also, her American cousins had been floating around a USAF C-131 flying parabolas near Dayton, Ohio, c. 1962.
Raphael Roettgen retweeted
Brain organoids in space could help advance biotech, pharma, stem cell research, and drug discovery: ow.ly/WWwm50ZXLXw
@UCSanDiego @NationalSCF #BrainOrganoids
Fav @podcast_space episode so far: I invited Hugo & Nebula winning sci-fi author @MaryRobinette to talk about getting the science right in sci-fi, the role of AI, politics and spirituality in it, and how she taught her cat Elsie to communicate with her via buttons.
Yes Elsie the cat joined, too
Raphael Roettgen retweeted
2026 Orbital Edge Accelerator cohort & the ISS National Lab thank @VardaSpace for the tour & outstanding hospitality yesterday during #latechweek. Learn more: ow.ly/icHj50ZXK2R
#siliconbeach #latechweek2026 #latech
@CIRI @DraperVC @draper_u @VenturesSt20251 @podcast_space
New episode out!
$MNTS CEO John Rood joined the @podcast_space with host Raphael Roettgen to discuss our space trucks as he likes to call it, our missions to date and what it is like to be a publicly-listed space company.
Tune in now! youtube.com/watch?v=WGgi9kpN…
Well worth reading
"We live in an age of maximum information but minimum reflection."
New guest essay from Devin Stauffer, Professor of Government at @UTAustin and Cosmos Founding Fellow on why reading the Great Books is more urgent than ever.
blog.cosmos-institute.org/p/…
Raphael Roettgen retweeted
Okay. I’ll take the bait.
I went to work for Peter in 2013 with opposite politics.
He sat me down right at the beginning.
PETER: “I don’t want the (Thiel) Foundation to do good that the market can do. That is the job of the market. Likewise, I don’t want to do the good work that is seen as good. That work can be done by people richer, weaker and more needy of approval than we are. I want us to do only the work that is *deeply* good but somehow confused for being evil, because that is the work of the courageous and the strong. We strive to be both and that is where a small foundation can make the greatest positive difference. Go look for such good and let’s do that. But remember. Good has TWO different antonyms. What is “bad work”? It could be seen as shoddy work. Or it could be seen as evil work. And we can’t do shoddy work. Why? Because evil that isn’t competent never gets to be evil. It’s just pathetic. So we have to be exceptionally competent at the good work which we do to make sure it is always confused for evil.”
I thought it totally logical. So that’s the argument. And that’s classic Peter.
This is an old idea of his. And now you know.
Had a great time talking with you @RaphaelE2MC from @podcast_space - one of the most in-depth coverage of our plans, capabilities in space, national security and our work in the US Market in general 🇺🇸
Loved the two questions at the end on What else I would be doing if I wasn't doing space and recommendations on books/tv/anime. Obv my top two were a bit outside regular reading - Dungeon Crawler Carl and Fire Upon the Deep!
Anyway - go checkout the Space Business Podcast latest episode!
youtube.com/watch?v=ETaBIJhW…
(topics in YT comments)
Still super bullish on India's space sector!
SIA-India Launches the Space Investment & Capital Facilitation Cell
India’s space sector is entering a new phase of growth, and access to capital, strategic partnerships and investment networks will be critical to scaling this momentum.
SIA-India is pleased to announce the launch of its Space Investment & Capital Facilitation Cell, created to strengthen the bridge between India’s space and deep-tech enterprises and the capital ecosystem.
The Cell will focus on:
🔹 Investment Readiness – helping companies prepare for institutional and strategic capital
🔹 Investor Access – connecting space companies with relevant VCs, strategic investors, family offices and other capital providers
🔹 Strategic Investor Matching – facilitating connections that can bring not only capital, but also technology, customers, manufacturing capabilities and global market access
🔹 Capital Strategy – supporting companies in exploring equity, strategic investment, grants, debt, project finance and blended financing pathways
SIA-India looks forward to working with the investment community, industry and the wider space ecosystem to unlock new opportunities for growth and capital formation in India’s space sector.
Congratulations and a warm welcome to our Investment Cell partners — Aniara, Bee Ventures, E2MC, GrowX, KickSky, Riceberg Ventures, Sanhit Ventures, Speciale Invest, and Steer Advisors — whose participation strengthens the bridge between India’s space industry and the global investment ecosystem.
Together, we aim to create stronger pathways for capital, collaboration and scale, supporting the next generation of Indian space companies.
#SIAIndia #SpaceInvestment #SpaceFinance #SpaceIndustry #InvestInSpace #IndianSpaceSector #SpaceEconomy #VentureCapital #DeepTech #SpaceTech #Investment #Innovation #NewSpace #IndiaSpace
@ANIARASPACE , @RaphaelE2MC , @growXventures , @kicksky_space , @_RicebergVC_ , @SpecialeInvest
Raphael Roettgen retweeted
SIA-India Launches the Space Investment & Capital Facilitation Cell
India’s space sector is entering a new phase of growth, and access to capital, strategic partnerships and investment networks will be critical to scaling this momentum.
SIA-India is pleased to announce the launch of its Space Investment & Capital Facilitation Cell, created to strengthen the bridge between India’s space and deep-tech enterprises and the capital ecosystem.
The Cell will focus on:
🔹 Investment Readiness – helping companies prepare for institutional and strategic capital
🔹 Investor Access – connecting space companies with relevant VCs, strategic investors, family offices and other capital providers
🔹 Strategic Investor Matching – facilitating connections that can bring not only capital, but also technology, customers, manufacturing capabilities and global market access
🔹 Capital Strategy – supporting companies in exploring equity, strategic investment, grants, debt, project finance and blended financing pathways
SIA-India looks forward to working with the investment community, industry and the wider space ecosystem to unlock new opportunities for growth and capital formation in India’s space sector.
Congratulations and a warm welcome to our Investment Cell partners — Aniara, Bee Ventures, E2MC, GrowX, KickSky, Riceberg Ventures, Sanhit Ventures, Speciale Invest, and Steer Advisors — whose participation strengthens the bridge between India’s space industry and the global investment ecosystem.
Together, we aim to create stronger pathways for capital, collaboration and scale, supporting the next generation of Indian space companies.
#SIAIndia #SpaceInvestment #SpaceFinance #SpaceIndustry #InvestInSpace #IndianSpaceSector #SpaceEconomy #VentureCapital #DeepTech #SpaceTech #Investment #Innovation #NewSpace #IndiaSpace
@ANIARASPACE , @RaphaelE2MC , @growXventures , @kicksky_space , @_RicebergVC_ , @SpecialeInvest
Raphael Roettgen retweeted
Movies - and storytelling more broadly - are among the most powerful tools we have to shape how we see the world, and how we imagine the future.
That’s why it has always saddened me that, over the past few decades, Hollywood has produced a seemingly endless stream of dystopian narratives: technology is dangerous, humanity is flawed, capitalism is evil, and only a few exceptional heroes save us from ourselves.
I deeply believe there is another story to tell.
I believe in humanity. And I believe technology combined with capitalism is, overwhelmingly, a force for good.
Of course, there will always be people who misuse technology. But they are the exception, not the rule. Throughout history, human ingenuity and technological progress have helped us live longer, healthier, safer and more prosperous lives - and I believe the most extraordinary chapters are still ahead of us.
This is one of the many reasons I have always loved @StarTrek. Instead of portraying humanity and technology as adversaries, it imagined what becomes possible when they advance together. It showed us an optimistic future in which curiosity, science and technology allow humanity not just to survive, but to flourish - even beyond Earth.
The stories we tell about the future matter. Because before we can build a better future, we need to be able to imagine one.
And also on a spiritual level, I deeply believe that we create what we think and imagine. So positivity matters.
That’s why I’m incredibly proud to team up with @PeterDiamandis, Rod Roddenberry - whose father, Gene Roddenberry, created Star Trek - @CathieDWood, and many other extraordinary people to create the Future Vision @XPRIZE
Our goal is to support filmmakers and storytellers who dare to imagine a radically better future and to bring more ambitious, optimistic and technology-positive visions to screens around the world.
Dystopia is easy to imagine.
Building the future starts with believing that something better is possible.
More info in comments
Raphael Roettgen retweeted
Today, Pioneer Labs is announcing our first step towards terraforming Mars. 🚀🌼
With equipment that fits in just a single rocket launch, we can convert Martian dirt, water, and air into enough building materials to construct a small city on Mars.
To do it, we made the first microbe for Mars. We found the best microbe on Earth and used evolution to teach it how to source all of its nutrients directly from Martian materials.
The first astronauts will be greeted with safe shelter already filled with water, oxygen, and rocket fuel for the return journey.
This is the first step toward using biology to make Mars a friendly place for life. It lets us live off the land and helps us build the next great frontier.
It's the first of five organisms we need to green Mars ⬇️
Raphael Roettgen retweeted
BREAKING: The U.S. has deployed weapons into orbit, marking the Pentagon’s first public confirmation that America now has space-based weapons, DefenseScoop reports.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said today the Space Force has “on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary actions.”
The Pentagon has not disclosed what the weapons are, how many are in orbit or whether they are kinetic or non-kinetic.
Space Force doctrine says space-control operations can include disrupting or destroying adversary spacecraft, interfering with their communications and protecting U.S. satellites from attack.





















