T minus 10 interview series by space industry leader Dylan Taylor. This episode features Venture Capitalist Lisa Rich, CEO of Hemisphere Ventures and Xplore.

1. An interview seires
with Dylan Taylor
T-MINUS 10
LISA RICH
with

2. T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor
Lisa Rich is a successful investor, strategist, communicator and operator. She is
founder and Managing Partner of Hemisphere Ventures, an early stage venture
capital firm focused on frontier tech: synthetic biology, robotics, drones and space.
Hemisphere has invested in more than 200 U.S. companies since 2014;
Hemisphere’s portfolio has 18 space companies, including: Axiom Space (the
world's first commercial space station); Umbra (high resolution space-based
imagery; PlanetIQ (high definition weather forecasting) and Made In Space (in-
space manufacturing), recently acquired by Redwire.Ms. Rich is also founder and
Chief Operating Officer of Xplore, a commercial space exploration company
focused on missons to Earth orbit and beyond, including destinations to the Moon,
Mars, Venus, LaGrange points and near-Earth asteroids. She is dedicated to
advancing commercialization for the space industry via legislative affairs and has presented
at the U.S. State Department, NewSpace, The Center for Space Commerce and Finance, TechStars,
Project Geospatial, and internationally. A member of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and Space
Enterprise Consortium, Lisa is also a supporter of the Planetary Society, B612 and The Keck Foundation.
She holds a B.S. in English from Loyola University Chicago, and master’s degree from the Illinois Institute
of Technology in Chicago.
ABOUT
LISA RICH

3. I’m originally a Midwesterner, now living
on the West Coast near Seattle. I’ve
been told I have a distinctive accent
and my Chicago roots are quite the
giveaway!
10. WHAT IS YOUR
BACKGROUND, WHERE DID
YOU GROW UP?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

4. We’ve all heard that “Space is Hard” and perhaps that’s why I am drawn
to it. I’ve always been attracted to complex problems and technologies –
I like to know what makes things work not necessarily to become an
expert in those details but rather, to understand the importance of a
new capability and how it fits into the bigger picture.I’m nature
photographer who has always been captivated by astrophotography and
I appreciate great imagery. A few years ago, I stepped inside of Blue
Origin’s New Shepherd capsule and my heart raced! – I had this Eureka
moment of wanting to experience space for myself.
9. WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME
INTERESTED IN SPACE?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

5. 8. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE BIGGEST ISSUE
FACING THE INDUSTRY TODAY?
I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O M P E T I T I O N I S A N I S S U E D E S E R V I N G M O R E A T T E N T I O N O N T H E P O L I C Y
S I D E . C H I N A P R O V I D E S T R E M E N D O U S S U P P O R T F O R E A R L Y S T A G E S P A C E C O M P A N I E S ,
A N D T H E I R S T A R T U P E C O S Y S T E M I S T H R I V I N G . T H E E U R O P E A N G O V E R N M E N T P R O V I D E S A
B R O A D R A N G E O F S U P P O R T – A N D F U N D I N G F O R T H E I R S P A C E C O M P A N I E S . W E N E E D T O
S E E T H E U . S . G O V E R N M E N T R E A C H I N G O U T I N S I M I L A R W A Y S . W E H A V E S E E N T H E N E W
Z E A L A N D G O V E R N M E N T , F O R E X A M P L E , E X T E N D I T S R E A C H T O H E L P S P E C I F I C S P A C E
C O M P A N I E S R A I S E F U N D S , E U R O P E O F F E R I N G M A T C H I N G F U N D I N G F O R V E N T U R E F I R M S
T H A T B A C K C O M P A N I E S B A S E D I N T H E E U R O P E … . I T W O U L D B E I N C R E D I B L E T O H A V E
S I M I L A R V E H I C L E S I N T H E U . S .
I F T H E R E W A S F A I R W A Y T O F U N D D E S E R V I N G C O M P A N I E S . T H E G O A L I S N O T T O
E N C O U R A G E M O R E G O V E R N M E N T S U B S I D I E S F O R T H E C O M M E R C I A L S P A C E I N D U S T R Y ,
B U T I N S T E A D T O E N A B L E A S O L I D S T R E A M O F C O M M E R C I A L C O N T R A C T S – A N D F I N D N E W
W A Y S T O C O M M E R C I A L I Z E . A F W E R X I S O N A G R E A T P A T H T O E N C O U R A G E I N N O V A T I O N
A N D S U P P O R T C O M M E R C I A L I Z A T I O N – I L O O K F O R W A R D T O S E E I N G T H I S P R O G R A M
E X P A N D E D A N D R E P L I C A T E D I N O T H E R A R E A S O F O U R G O V E R N M E N T .
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

6. 7. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO FOR FUN?
A S A C H I L D I M E M O R I Z E D T H E B O T A N I C A L N A M E S O F A L L
K I N D S O F P L A N T S A N D L A T E R B E C A M E A C E R T I F I E D M A S T E R
G A R D E N E R , S O I H A V E A G R E E N T H U M B . I ’ M E S P E C I A L L Y
I N T E R E S T E D I N H Y D R O P O N I C S A N D C U R R E N T L Y W O R K I N G O N A
B U M P E R C R O P O F H E R B S A N D C H E R R Y T O M A T O E S .
M U S H R O O M S A R E A B I G A R E A I N T H E S Y N T H E T I C B I O L O G Y
W O R L D A N D H A V E L O A D S O F M E D I C I N A L B E N E F I T S , S O I ’ M
A L S O T R Y I N G M Y H A N D A T G R O W I N G M Y O W N L I O N ’ S M A N E .
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

7. Ballroom Dancing. A creative and talented dancer with a distinctively unique
dance style – had new steps he wanted to perform in a traditional ballroom
dance competition whose leadership strongly opposed innovation of any kind.
While the dancer knew and appreciated the classic steps – he was driven in his
desire to break free of that mold. In the end he and his partner choose to be
bold, brave, risk total failure and fight the status quo to introduce new steps at
the competition – and they win.
This mindset mirrors my own. As an innovator, strategist and founder I most
appreciate operators with groundbreaking ideas who push boundaries and will
stop at nothing to execute on their vision.
6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE AND WHY?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

8. Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi’s
Finding Flow, Malcolm
Gladwell’s The Tipping
Point and Outliers, are
some favorites.
5. WHAT ARE
SOME OF YOUR
FAVORITE BOOKS?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

9. 4. WHAT ARE YOU READING NOW?
J A N E M E T C A L F E A N D B R I A N B E R G S T E I N ’ S N E O . L I F E : 2 5 V I S I O N S F O R T H E
F U T U R E O F O U R S P E C I E S – A B O U T H O W R E V O L U T I O N A R Y
B I O T E C H N O L O G I E S W I L L A L T E R T H E F U T U R E O F O U R H U M A N
E X P E R I E N C E . L I Z A M U N D Y ’ S C O D E G I R L S – A B O U T T H E A M E R I C A N
W O M E N C O D E B R E A K E R S O F W W I I … A L S O , A L A N S T E R N , W H O I S A N
A D V I S O R T O M Y C O M M E R C I A L S P A C E C O M P A N Y X P L O R E , H A S
I N C R E D I B L E S P A C E S T O R I E S T O S H A R E . I A M R E - R E A D I N G T H E B O O K H E
W R O T E D A V I D G R I N S P O O N : C H A S I N G N E W H O R I Z O N S : I N S I D E T H E E P I C
F I R S T M I S S I O N T O P L U T O .
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

10. 3. WHERE DO YOU SEE THE SPACE
INDUSTRY IN TEN YEARS?
I W O U L D E X P E C T T H E I N D U S T R Y T O H A V E
G R O W N C O N S I D E R A B L Y . I N T E N Y E A R S I E X P E C T
T O S E E M O R E R & D H A P P E N I N G O N M U L T I P L E
S P A C E S T A T I O N S A N D A S T R O N A U T S O N T H E
M O O N – A N D M A R S .
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

11. The best way to become a part of the
space industry is to learn from others in
the community. There are
videoconferences, books… but reaching
out and getting to know the people
behind the industry is an ideal way to be
involved. Many key players in the sector
are mentioned in Space is Open for
Business: The Industry That Can
Transform Humanity, which I reviewed for
the author, Robert Jacobson – it just
launched this week.
2. WHAT WOULD YOU TELL PEOPLE JUST
STARTING OUT IN THE SPACE INDUSTRY?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

12. Decisive. Strategist. Optimist.
1. WHAT THREE WORDS BEST DESCRIBE YOU?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

13. Have someone to recommend
for an interview? Contact me!
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES
WITH LEADERS OF THE SPACE
INDUSTRY
www.dylantaylor.org