What does it actually take to build a space company from scratch?
Not in theory. Not in a pitch deck.
But in reality… where timelines are long, capital is massive, and failure isn’t an option.
In this episode, Matt Gjertsen, Seyka Mejeur, and Justus Kilian sit down with Max Haot, CEO of Vast, for their first guest conversation to dive into what it really takes to build in hard tech.
Max is leading one of the most ambitious efforts in the space industry, building Haven-1, the world’s first commercial space station. But instead of focusing on the hardware, this conversation goes deeper into the system behind it.
How do you define a mission that actually keeps a team focused?
How do you move fast… without compromising safety?
And what does it take to attract and keep world-class talent working on problems this hard?
We get into the reality of building a company where speed and risk live side by side, why talent is the single biggest driver of progress, and how capital can either accelerate or break a company’s culture.
We also talk about the evolution of a CEO, from hiring and building early teams to raising capital and selling a vision globally, and why belief, more than anything else, is what keeps everything moving forward.
If you’re building in hard tech, or thinking about it, this is a grounded look at what it actually takes.
Episode Highlights
[00:00] Introducing Vast and the mission behind Haven-1
[02:21] Why “minimum viable mission” matters in building hard tech
[04:03] What it takes to assemble a human spaceflight team
[07:54] Staying focused when engineering wants to do more
[11:30] How speed and safety can actually reinforce each other
[15:17] When to slow down: stopping work to fix critical issues
[17:23] The CEO’s real job: serving the engineering team
[18:41] How the CEO role evolves as the company scales
[22:52] Why belief and persistence matter more than tactics
[24:45] Turning vision into reality through incremental progress
[27:26] Mission-driven talent stays motivated even when money is no longer a factor
[3O:01] How capital shapes culture in hard tech companies
[36:26] Convincing investors to believe in space
[41:03] Using your cap table as a strategic advantage
[44:17] What happens when pressure tests culture and talent
[50:03] Why tough times can actually strengthen teams
[50:26] Advice for founders: just start and figure it out
Episode Takeaways:
- Building in hard tech starts with a clear, focused milestone, not just a big vision
- Speed and safety aren’t opposites when done right
- Talent is the biggest differentiator, and the hardest thing to get right
- Great leaders serve the team, not the other way around
- Belief and persistence matter more than frameworks or advice
- Capital can accelerate progress, but it can also distort culture if not handled carefully
- The best teams are mission-driven, not money-driven
- Incremental progress is what makes big, impossible goals feel achievable
- Tough moments don’t always break teams, they can sharpen them
- The best way to learn is to just start building
Subscribe to VHTB for more insights on the talent, culture, and finance sides of space startups.
Resources & Links
Max Haot:
VHTB Team:
