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MATT GIALICH
CO-FOUNDER / CEO
ASTROFORGE
WHY: Leads a company that plans to track speeding asteroids, extracts precious metals such as platinum from them and then bring the treasures back to Earth.
IN THE NEWS: The platinum group metals being sought are used in products ranging from jewelry to catalytic converters in cars, electronics and cancer-fighting drugs. The company last fall relocated to new headquarters in Seal Beach. AstroForge said Sept. 16 it had raised a $40M Series A round, led by Nova Threshold with participation from 776, Initialized, Caladan, YC, Uncorrelated Ventures and Jed McCaleb, bringing the company’s total financing raised as of September to $55M. The company says its investors represent “some of the most forward-thinking and innovative folks in technology.”
NOTABLE: AstroForge says it’s pressing forward with its goal of mining valuable metals from asteroids, despite a setback in its recent space mission. Its Odin spacecraft was launched successfully on Feb. 26, but it soon encountered huge communication difficulties, possibly tumbling through deep space.
IN HIS WORDS: “We’re going to be the first commercial mission to operate in deep space.”
