Inside The $100M Bet on the Future of Space | Northwood CEO on a16z

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

March 23, 2026

Duration

40m

Channel

a16z

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Bridgit Mendler, Co-founder and CEO of Northwood, joins a16z’s Erik Torenberg to discuss the critical but overlooked bottleneck in space: ground infrastructure. Northwood is building the systems that connect satellites back to Earth, enabling faster, more scalable space missions. They cover Bridgit’s unconventional path to founding a space company, why vertical integration matters in hard tech, and how modern ground networks could unlock the next wave of innovation in the space economy, from national security to new commercial applications. Timestamps: 0:00—Introduction 6:10—The Ground Segment Bottleneck 10:06—Pandemic Antenna Origins 13:18—Three Months, Not Three Years 18:19—Starlink Is Not a Threat 23:48—The Space Economy Market Map 29:45—The Space Force Contract 36:03—Culture and Values Resources: Follow Bridgit Mendler on X: https://x.com/bridgitmendler Follow Erik Torenberg on X: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Bridgit Mendler

  guest

  CEO of Northwood, building end-to-end ground infrastructure for satellite communications.

• Erik Torenberg

  host

  Host at a16z, interviewing founders and technology leaders.

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of a16z, featuring Bridgit Mendler and Erik Torenberg, Inside The $100M Bet on the Future of Space | Northwood CEO on a16z explores northwood bets on vertically integrated ground networks to unlock space economy Northwood argues the “ground segment” is now the longest pole in space missions, with satellites launching faster than operators can secure reliable, high-throughput contact back to Earth.

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