How to Unlock the Space Economy? | Delian Asparouhov

In the premiere episode of The Frame Podcast, host Raycho Raychev sits down with one of the sharpest minds at the intersection of venture capital and deep tech: Delian Asparouhov, Co-founder of Varda Space Industries and Partner at the legendary Founders Fund, to discuss what it truly means to build a valuable enterprise in space. This episode's highlights – Why Founders Fund invested in a Bulgarian satellite company – Why a VC deal can take 3 hours in the US vs. six months in Europe – Moving from vertical integration (like SpaceX) to horizontal economy – Is the industry just playing musical chairs with investor money? – A founder's philosophy: "Fall in love with the problem, not the technology" – The magic number that could unlock the entire space data market – Why most new space companies don't have a real, defensible advantage – The Uber/Airbnb analogy for the space industry – Are investors going to get burned by failing constellations? – How Europe's "rational" mindset holds back its incredible engineering talent – Building and inspiring a new generation of founders ▾ Jump right in to 0:00 Intro 0:30 The "Dell for satellite manufacturing" thesis 2:56 US vs. EU investor mindset 4:53 The #1 shift in the space industry 8:05 The "Space for Space" bubble 10:16 The biggest mistake founders make 13:41 The $1 per Gigabyte goal 16:44 Are space companies making a mistake? 22:21 The skepticism trap 26:42 Building the "TSMC of Bulgaria" Explore more → Join the conversation with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/endurosat → Connect with Delian Asparouhov: https://www.linkedin.com/in/delian-asparouhov-87447742/ → Subscribe for more insights from the new space economy: https://www.youtube.com/@endurosat → Learn more about EnduroSat’s mission: https://www.endurosat.com/ → Explore career opportunities at EnduroSat: https://www.endurosat.com/careers → Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-frame-podcast/id1844385798 → Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4AtQ3hpLI4QNaJ5vNiDgzY?si=YDx8b555QZ6AB2bkxCb8wA Quote "If we can enable $1 per gigabyte of any type of space data, I think it's a game changer for the industry. Our goal is to make the case that space data companies could be profitable." #TheFramePodcast #SpaceEconomy #VentureCapital #NewSpace #Satellite