To live in a world worth living in,
We have to let challenge inspire us.
We have to take risks, be bold, and fail forward.
We have to Be Fearless.
-Jean Case
‘The Cities of the Futures’ start not on earth…in space, believe two space-entrepreneurs Abel Avellan, Chairman and CEO of AST & Science, and Emiliano Kargieman, Founder and CEO of Satellogic. On September 26th, they brought truly ‘space’ perspectives to the ScaleUp Summit hosted by Endeavor Miami. The panel discussion with two space visionaries was moderated by Adriana Cisneros, CEO of a third-generation family-owned business with operations in Latin America and the United States.
Last year, AST&Science received a significant investment from Cisneros that helped the Miami-born company accelerated deployment of the ultra-powerful low-Earth-orbit satellites. In April 2019, the company’s first satellite had been successfully stabilized in orbit to pioneer the implementation of WiFi on airplanes and provide connectivity throughout African countries for the first time. The patented technologies dramatically pull down the cost of satellite development for government and commercial entities, accelerated launch times, and improved a level of resiliency never previously possible.
“Connectivity is the ultimate equalizer,” said Adriana Cisneros. “Companies like Satellogic and AST & Science are building the infrastructure to impact our planet positively.” Satellogic, a changemaker from Argentina, hopes to image the entire planet weekly by 2020. Their satellites are equipped with a high-resolution multispectral camera and hyperspectral imager. Real-time satellite data on a planetary scale is now affordable for all branches of government, organizations, businesses, and individuals to inspect forest lands and crops, monitor energy infrastructure, assess the impact of natural disasters, etc. A new layer of worldwide awareness will allow transforming our relationship with the planet to tackle the most pressing challenges.
Nearpod, another one game-changer from Miami, also redefined the way we deliver information and knowledge thanks to its ready-to-run interactive lessons for educators. “A lot of teachers use their own money to buy tools and resources to improve the students’ learning experiences. We made a strategic decision to provide Nearpod to teachers for free,” said Emiliano Abramzon, Co-Founder of Nearpod. “When we started, we were selling bottom-up, getting the support of the teachers, instead of top-down, which focuses on selling to the district. This was a huge innovation in educational system.”
Innovation is about inspiration coming anytime and anywhere. Powerful retail entrepreneurs Trina Spear from FIGS took an untouched, archaic industry and reinvented apparel for healthcare professionals. When Spear was asked to name the character traits essential for scaling up a business, she answered, “Understanding that when you go down, you need to get up. Resilience and seizing the opportunity are the name of the game.” While Alexis Maybank from Gilt Groupe said, “You need to be open with your team whenever things don’t go your way. Be transparent and make them understand that not everything will be a straight line upwards.”
High-impact entrepreneurs stand out on almost all aspects – they grow faster, create more jobs, transform industries to a greater extent than their peers. And what’s more important, they drive innovation with a passion for changing and improving communities around. This is an ongoing and rewarding effort.
Comments