In this episode of Tech Burst Talks, Charles sits down with Rob DeMillo — ex-JPL, serial entrepreneur, SparkLabs Venture Partner, and now CEO of Sophia Space — to unpack one of the most disruptive tech ideas out there: putting compute in orbit.
Rob walks us through his wild career path from space science to cloud animation, to architecting data centers in the sky. And learn how he was about to produce 7 EXITS from 9 STARTUPS!
They dive deep into Sophia Space’s modular “tile” technology, built from first principles for space — not retrofitted earth tech — and explore the near-term use cases that matter: defence, air traffic control, disaster response, and real-time edge processing in orbit.
This isn’t a pitch about sci-fi fantasy — it’s a raw look at how real, scalable, space-based computing is already taking shape. Rob also shares what it really takes to build seven successful startups, why “dumb luck” matters, and the mindset needed to thrive on the edge of what’s possible.
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Show Notes
00:00 Introduction and Guest Background
00:37 Career Journey and Achievements
01:51 Entrepreneurial Ventures and Exits
04:46 Joining Mandala Space Ventures
08:51 Sophia Space and Orbital Data Centers
09:39 Innovative Tile Technology
12:46 Market and Future Plans
16:29 Challenges and Opportunities in Space
18:08 Why Orbital Data Centers?
19:57 The Heat Problem of Data Centers
20:29 Advantages of Space-Based Data Centers
21:23 Use Cases for Space-Based Computing
22:15 Real-Time Applications and Sensor Fusion
24:23 Technological Advances Enabling Space Computing
25:27 Scaling and Deployment of Orbital Data Centers
27:58 Commercial Applications and Future Prospects
33:22 Advice for Entrepreneurs
34:41 Motivation and Future Plans
38:34 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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