#StartupsEverywhere: Jacksonville, Fla.

#StartupsEverywhere: Andrew Rush, Co-Founder & CEO, Star Catcher

This profile is part of #StartupsEverywhere, an ongoing series highlighting startup leaders in ecosystems across the country. This interview has been edited for length, content, and clarity.

Powering the second golden age of space

After pioneering commercial in-space manufacturing and leading the team that designed the cameras for the Artemis II mission, Andrew Rush set out to solve the need for magnitudes more power for satellites in low Earth orbit. Star Catcher is building a power grid in space, concentrating energy from the sun and beaming optical and near-infrared beams of light that can greatly increase the energy output of solar panels on existing satellites. We sat down with Andrew to talk about Star Catcher, the importance of patenting technology, the evolution of capital formation in the space sector, and more.

Tell us about your background. What led you to Star Catcher?

I have always been motivated, both professionally and personally, to help people do more in space. My technical background is in physics and the law. I was a practicing patent attorney for several years before becoming the CEO of a client’s company. I grew that company, Made In Space, from a team of 12 to about 140 and saw it through an acquisition by Redwire six years ago. At Redwire, I had the pleasure of leading teams who built new solar arrays for the International Space Station and the cameras for the Artemis II mission. After leaving Redwire, I began building Star Catcher alongside my co-founders Michael Snyder and Bryan Lyandvert.

What is the work you all are doing at Star Catcher? Who are your users/customers?

At Star Catcher, we’re building a power grid in space to provide the energy necessary for the next giant leap in space infrastructure. We are in the second golden age of space, and it's driven by the launch of mega-constellations of satellites into low Earth orbit. These satellites enable broad access to high-speed Internet and high-quality remote sensing imagery. We’re also seeing new use cases for satellites like data centers, manufacturing, and even private human enterprise. 

All satellites are constrained by size, weight, and power. With the advent of reusable launch vehicles, we’ve seen the aperture open up  on the size and weight constraints, but satellites are still super constrained on the power front. The vast majority of low Earth orbit satellites usually have around 1500 watts of power available, which is about as much as your average refrigerator uses. All of these amazing new use cases for satellites require much more power than is currently available. Our power grid will fuel these satellites by converting concentrated solar energy into optical and near-infrared light that can be beamed onto existing solar panels. This means that current satellites can then generate up to ten times what they currently can without any retrofits by using Star Catcher.

We often hear from startups that pursuing patents is a long and expensive endeavor. What would you say to founders weighing the costs and benefits of a patent application? 

Intellectual property protection and a solid patent strategy are essential for any kind of startup. People often argue that their industry moves so fast that patents aren’t necessary, only to find later that intellectual property matters more than they expected. For example, in the mobile device industry, Google bought Motorola’s patent portfolio for $12.5 billion over a decade ago. Patents protect innovation and the value of the companies that innovate. Startups can use patents almost as a metric to show what their company is worth. 

How has funding for space technologies changed between your first company, Made In Space, and Star Catcher?

This is a really good time for capital formation in the space technology sector. When we were building Made In Space in the early 2010s, it was a capital desert for space technology companies unless your name was Elon Musk. We had to really focus on growing our customer base then, and now we actually have access to the full suite of private and public market finance tools. Alongside that, we've seen the maturation of and the recognition by government customers that it’s essential to invest in their country’s private space technology sector.

Star Catcher has also greatly benefited from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant programs. I took what I learned from going through the programs when I was at Made In Space so I could later apply it to Star Catcher. We have been fortunate enough to obtain Phase I and II SBIR grants from the U.S. Air Force and are now pursuing operational prototypes and Programs of Record. Government clients like NASA, the Air Force, and Space Force are always in need of novel innovations to complete their next mission. The SBIR and STTR programs support the innovators ready to meet that need.

As a Florida-based startup, what has your experience been in hiring talent?

There isn’t a single city that can be considered the beating heart of the space industry. This industry is spread across the country, and we’ve been very fortunate to find talented folks who get our mission and are excited to work for Star Catcher. Being based out of Northeast Florida is not only nice from a taxation and regulation perspective, but it’s also a nice place to live. Jacksonville is very walkable with a popular beach and river, we have good schools, and (I’m very proud to say this year) a great football team. So the location goes a long way in attracting top-quality talent. 

Are there any local, state, or federal startup issues that you think should receive more attention from policymakers?

Transition programs that help startups get from 0 to 1, like SBIR and STTR, are vital. When the government has the contractual authority and budget available for innovators to fund, refine, and scale their ideas, it cuts down on wasted time and effort on time sensitive projects. These programs allow the U.S. government to focus on finding and supporting the development of innovative products to meet the needs of its people and priorities.

What are your goals for Star Catcher moving forward?

 Ubiquitous power delivery in space.

All of the information in this profile was accurate at the date and time of publication.

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