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This week, Millennial Masters takes you beyond the stratosphere with Joshua Western, co-founder and CEO of Space Forge, the company making space manufacturing a reality.
It all started with a pub chat, a £10 company registration fee, and a wild idea: what if we could use the conditions of space to create next-level materials?
Fast-forward seven years, and Josh has built one of the UK’s most exciting deep-tech startups, secured millions in funding, and scaled a team of 70+ people, all while navigating the relentless challenges of the space industry.
🔗 Find Josh on LinkedIn
Takeaways from Josh’s episode:
1️⃣ Funding is a long game
Josh didn’t just pitch investors — he built relationships years before raising money. His advice? Start early, nurture connections, and don’t just show up when you need cash.
2️⃣ Your first 50 hires will make or break you
Scaling from 2 to 50 was smooth. But 50 to 60? That was the real challenge. Culture, structure, and process all shift, so get them right early or risk chaos.
3️⃣ Failure isn’t the enemy, ignoring it is
SpaceForge has a “failure of the month” award: not to shame mistakes, but to learn from them. If you’re not openly fixing problems, they’ll just keep happening.
4️⃣ Find investors who truly get your business
Josh wasted time with “deep tech” VCs who only funded SaaS. The lesson? Make sure your investors actually understand your market, or you’ll be stuck educating them instead of growing.
5️⃣ Passion can’t be taught, but skills can
When hiring, Josh doesn’t just look at CVs — he looks for people who love solving problems. If you’ve got the right mindset, you can learn anything.
In this episode we cover:
00:00 Introduction to Joshua Western
02:19 From Kitchen to Cosmos: A Unique Journey
15:11 The Birth of Space Forge: Innovation in Space Technology
27:47 Funding the Future: Navigating Investment Challenges
36:38 Scaling Up: Building a Cohesive Team Culture
44:15 Innovative Hiring Practices
46:25 Remote Work and Hybrid Models
49:18 The Co-Founder Dynamic
53:20 Maintaining Balance in a Startup
59:11 Insights on Reading and Learning
01:02:14 Role Models and Inspirations
01:05:53 AI's Impact on Spaceforge
01:08:05 Sacrifices on the Startup Journey
01:13:06 Lessons from the Startup Experience
Fascinated by the future of the space economy? So am I!
