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

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:   / a16z   Find a16z on LinkedIn:   / a16z   Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RD... Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 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.