In this episode of Deep Tech LIVE, SOSV and Women Moving Markets present: “Commercializing Deep Tech for Industrial Resilience.” SOSV General Partner Katie Hoffman sits down with Dr. Vanessa Chan, former Chief Commercialization Officer at the U.S. Department of Energy and now Vice Dean of Innovation at Penn Engineering, and Dr. Susan Schofer, Chief Science Officer at HAX and Partner at SOSV.

The conversation dives into the real-world roadmap for deep tech startups, from lab to market, and all the things you should’ve learned in your PhD program, but didn’t.

Tune in for insights on:

🔹 Why Adoption Readiness Levels (ARLs) may be the most important framework you’ve never heard of

🔹 How public-private partnerships are unlocking billions—and how startups can get a better seat at the table

🔹What it takes to win over the market when you’re buried deep in the value chain

🔹 And how paths that started in academia can lead to industry, government and venture capital - with stops at QVC and The Today Show along the way.

From hydrogen hubs to industrial resilience, this episode is a masterclass for anyone involved in the Deep Tech Ecosystem and interested in the keys to commercialization.

Check out this fascinating conversation between SOSV General Partner Pae Wu and Steve Isakowitz, CEO of the Aerospace Corporation, a leading architect for the nation’s space programs, operating in the civil, national security and commercial realms.

In this episode, Pae Wu talks with Isakowitz about his illustrious career, which spans 𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐀, where he helped open the door to the commercialization of space, to 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜, where he raised $𝟏 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧, to government jobs at the OMB and DOE, to his current role helming Aerospace.

Isakowitz shares unique perspectives on:

- The unparalleled demands of space tech

- The rapid evolution in the category, where startups are breaking barriers

- Whether the future of space innovation will depend more on software than hardware

- How asymmetric technologies and commercial space are reshaping global conflicts

- And where the next massive opportunities for space startups will be.

From billion-dollar government contracts to Silicon Valley startups rewriting the rules, this episode reveals how the new space race is reshaping innovation, national security, and our daily lives on Earth.

"Startups, Space, and Boundless Frontiers," with Steve Isakowitz, on SOSV Deep Tech LIVE.

SOSV Deep Tech LIVE is our new video podcast exploring the frontiers of Deep Tech with the world’s top technologists, founders, and researchers.

Coming up on the next episode of SOSV Deep Tech LIVE...

There’s no deep tech tougher than space tech—and no commercialization frontier more vast than what lies beyond the Kármán line. In a one-on-one conversation, 𝐀𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐳 joins 𝐃𝐫. 𝐏𝐚𝐞 𝗪𝐮 (SOSV GP & IndieBio CTO) to explore:

✨ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 – tackling extreme radiation, zero gravity, and mind-boggling speeds 🚀

📈 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐲 – where startups are breaking barriers 🌌

🤝 𝐀𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞’𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 – bridging the gap between private innovation & government needs 🛰️

This promises to be a fascinating conversation! 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐳’𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐀, where he helped open the door to the commercialization of space, to 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜, where he raised $𝟏 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 and positioned the private space venture as a leader in space tourism and micro-gravity research.

At 𝐀𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞, a leading architect for the nation’s space programs, Isakowitz leads a team of more than 𝟒,𝟔𝟎𝟎 as they work alongside government and industry partners to 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 while nurturing the innovative technologies needed to further a new era of 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. This includes a strong focus on 𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 and helping drive 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 coming out of the 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦.

💡 With 𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝐱, startups are unlocking new cosmic possibilities:

🌕 Permanent moon colonies

🚀 Human exploration of Mars

🌎 Advanced climate monitoring

🛰️ Giant space stations

💊 Zero-G pharmaceutical breakthroughs

Let’s talk 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡! 🌍➡️🌌

🌠 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧-𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 on the 𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 and how 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

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