Inflection Point
“Every single one of us, our bones, our blood, and every other part of our body was forged in the heart of a star. We are the universe looking at itself.”
- Ryan Kriser
As Space for Humanity’s Executive Director, it has been an absolute honor to work with our Founder and former Chairman of the Board, Dylan Taylor, over the last six years as we set out on a mission to build Space For Humanity. Under Dylan’s inspiring leadership, S4H has grown and reached historic milestones – forever changing the course of history. Dylan, we thank you to the moon and back (pun intended). We’re so excited to continue working with you on our Board of Directors, spearheading the movement you started.
As with any growing organization, especially one focused on improving our future on this planet, it is critical that we continue to evolve and bring in new perspectives to support our mission. In that spirit, I am thrilled to welcome our new Chairman Ryan Kriser.
Ryan is an investment entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for bringing the emerging private space sector to market. He is the founder and CEO of Helios Capital, a family office dedicated to supporting private investors and entrepreneurs, especially within disruptive technology. Following its inception in late 2018, Helios Capital has invested in some of frontier tech, NewSpace Industry’s most promising startups including Gravitics, OrbitFab, Radian Aerospace, Relativity Space, Space Forge and Swarm Technologies, to name a few.
I sat down with Ryan to reflect on his new role within S4H. What he is looking forward to and hopes to accomplish, and why he is so passionate about our mission.
Let’s kick off by having you share a little bit about yourself and how you got involved with S4H.
My name is Ryan Kriser – I’m an angel investor, venture capitalist, philanthropist, and most importantly the father to two little girls.
I started investing in 5th grade when I was exposed to a class project focused on portfolio management. After years of investing in both public and private markets, I became fascinated with start-ups and moved downstream to IPO and Pre-IPO private placements. I think it’s absolutely amazing that you can infuse a newly formed company with capital and then scale and grow that company into a self-sustained organism with a life of its own. It was a combination of this fascination with start-ups and my lifelong passion for space that led me to form Helios Capital. Since 2018 I’ve been almost exclusively investing in the space industry.
It was right around the time I started Helios that I was introduced to Dylan Taylor and first became familiar with S4H. I was asked to be a part of the Vision Circle, and then the board, and that eventually led to my role as Chairman.
Have you always been interested in space or was this something you came to along your professional investment journey?
Ever since I was old enough to remember I’ve been fascinated with space. Growing up my father was obsessed with tech and sci-fi and watching science fiction with him at such a young age had a profound and lasting impact on me. This medium, this art, this form of communicating a better planet, one which transcends both space and time inspired me and made me hopeful about the future, even as a kid.
But I never felt like there were any clear professional avenues for young aspiring “space nerds” like myself outside of becoming an astronaut or scientist. So I never pursued my passion. But once I saw others pursuing their own dreams and passions, I realized it was also possible for me.
Why do you believe that space has the ability to transform the world and humanity for good?
Every single one of us, our bones, our blood, and every other part of our body was forged in the heart of a star. We are the universe looking at itself. We are the only fully self-aware organism capable of escaping our own planet’s gravity and we did that through innovative technology. Technology that could have only been created through the process of discovery and exploration. Survival in the harshest environment we know has led to some of humanity’s greatest advances.
If you look at the entirety of human history and place it on a calendar we are literally at the last second before midnight on the 31st. Then the industrial revolution came and now here we are at a second major technological inflection point for humanity.
Going to and being in space creates two critical by-products: transformation and inspiration. Space can transform the world and humanity for good because it not only breeds innovation, but showcases stories of the human spirit, that of hardship and persistence, and then overcoming that persistence to achieve greatness. From space, there are no borders. This mindset of one world, one people can and should allow humanity to put our many differences aside because, in the end, we are one species. One species that can transform the world and humanity for good. Space is literally one thing we all have in common, and we should celebrate that.
Now we just need more leaders in positions of power with this perspective. Imagine then what we could accomplish.
Do you hope/plan to go to space yourself?
Absolutely and emphatically yes! I have wanted to go since I was a child, and that plan has never changed. But, I don’t just want to be a passenger, my goal is to be the first citizen commander of a fully capable orbital-class starship.
If you were to become S4H’s next citizen astronaut, what global challenge or problem would you dedicate yourself to after your flight?
For me, it has and always will be about education. When we talk about transformation for good and inspiration, I truly believe space can be the path forward for our future generations. Children are just as, if not more capable than adults, and I would like to prove that we can train, instill, and inspire the youngest citizens on the planet to actively participate in space exploration.
I’d like to assemble the first under-16 crew – I don’t think a 5-year-old would cut it but I’m thinking 12 to 15 years might be ideal. Have you ever seen a child play a game or simulation? They can solve things in ways most adults never considered.
Critical thinking, strategic decision-making, placing trust, and instilling confidence in the next generation will lead to some pretty fascinating results. Just ask Elon himself or any of the employees at SpaceX about the school created on-site. I’ve heard about some very interesting projects coming out of that school. If we want to actually tackle the engineering shortage in this country, then we must think differently.
If you could choose 5 other crew members to join you, living or not, who would they be?
My brother
My two daughters
Leonardo da Vinci
Mozart
Ideally someone living who is controversial and whose perspective could be influenced through spaceflight. Maybe if some of the world’s dictators and oppressive leaders saw Earth from space, they might choose a different approach. There is absolutely no reason we should still be fighting over land and resources when we have access to the infinite.
What are you most looking forward to this year as the new Chairman?
It’s really difficult to select just one, but some standouts are working with a world-class executive director and team, and being able to share ideas and collaborate with some of the other board members.
However, what I’m most excited about is the opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to the table with some larger-than-life ideas. While Dylan and I had similar career paths, we’re not the same people. I believe my directive as Chairman is to bring the organization to new heights by leveraging different perspectives.
What do you predict will be S4H’s biggest challenge during your tenure?
We had a lot of momentum last year with our Citizen Astronaut Program. I think building on that momentum and continuing to scale will be a tough challenge. Fundraising is never easy, and neither is launching humans to space – we are attempting to do both.
Our goal is to make S4H a household name within the next two years, which is a big challenge but I firmly believe setting the bar high will light our internal fires and push us to get there. Execution is key here as it relates to both fundraising and minting more astronauts year over year.
Another challenge is ensuring that each newly minted astronaut is different from the last. We want to ensure that the most people, with differing viewpoints and backgrounds can not only fly, but tell their story and then be a force for positive transformation. With more applicants applying each year this will become even more of a challenge for the selection committee.
“Space is literally one thing we all have in common, and we should celebrate that.”
- Ryan Kriser
Favorite book?
“Leonardo da Vinci” by Walter Isaacson
Favorite TV show?
Foundation
Favorite quote or mantra?
“Once you bring life into the world, you must protect it. We must protect it by changing the world.” -Elie Wiesel
If you could give the 18 to 21-year-old version of yourself advice, what would it be?
Don’t let others influence your direction and passion. Continue to think differently even though not everyone will agree with you. Be yourself and state your truth loudly for others to hear.
I would also ask what would you do if you knew you could not fail? I think everyone wishes they could have done something different in their lives, but the paradox is then they wouldn’t be who they are today.
Any final thoughts?
It is our collective destiny to reach the stars. Earth (just like life) is just a lonely candle floating in an infinite dark void. We must do everything in our power to preserve the light of human consciousness. This is my purpose and I hope one day it is everyone else’s, at least to some extent.
We have a long way to go, but I am hopeful.
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