A VC, a Headhunter, and a Trainer Walk into a Bar

How do you align capital, talent, and execution to build a space station fast? | Max Haot, CEO of Vast

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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/], Seyka Mejeur [https://www.linkedin.com/in/seyka], and Justus Kilian [https://www.linkedin.com/in/justuskilian/] sit down with Max Haot [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxhaot], 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: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxhaot [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxhaot] * X: https://x.com/maxhaot [https://x.com/maxhaot] * Website: https://www.vastspace.com [https://www.vastspace.com] VHTB Team: * Space Capital: https://www.spacecapital.com/https://www.spacecapital.com/ [https://www.spacecapital.com/] * BUILT: https://builtleaders.com/ * Ad Astra Talent Advisors: https://adastra.us/https://adastra.us/ [https://adastra.us/]

Are we repeating the Clean Tech 1.0 mistake?

Hardware cycles tend to look obvious in hindsight but are much harder to navigate in real time. In this episode of VHTB, we revisit CleanTech 1.0 and earlier infrastructure waves, where enthusiasm, overbuild, and correction often follow large physical bets. We discuss how today’s hardware environment differs from the late 2000s, with more specialized capital, clearer funding pathways, and investors who have lived through previous infrastructure cycles. We also explore the tension between financial speed and physical constraints. Capital can move quickly, but manufacturing, deployment, and adoption do not. That gap shapes hiring decisions, scaling timelines, and how teams define what “ready” actually means. We also discuss how companies are scaling differently today, with larger rounds happening earlier and manufacturing increasingly treated as part of the product itself rather than something that comes later. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00] Introduction and framing CleanTech 1.0 in context [01:48] Why infrastructure cycles tend to overshoot demand [03:01] Lessons from railroads, telecom, and internet buildouts [07:00] How today’s hard tech cycle compares to earlier waves [08:00] Where demand signals can be misread in infrastructure markets [10:30] Why scale pressure is arriving earlier in company life cycles [13:40] What is actually different in this cycle EPISODE TAKEAWAYS * Infrastructure buildouts often move ahead of real demand * Adoption curves are slower and less predictable than funding cycles assume * Railroads, telecom, and internet history show repeated overbuild patterns * CleanTech 1.0 exposed timing gaps between buildout and usage * Today’s hardware companies are scaling under tighter timelines * Early capital intensity is changing how companies enter markets * Government and anchor customers often shape early viability in deep tech * Capital concentration can reduce room for new competitors * Manufacturing throughput remains a core constraint in hardware businesses * The core challenge is how real demand forms around deployed systems Subscribe to VHTB for more insights on the talent, culture, and finance forces shaping hard tech startups. RESOURCES & LINKS Space Capital [https://www.spacecapital.com/] Better Every Day Studios [https://bettereverydaystudios.com/] Ad Astra Talent Advisors [https://adastra.us/]

Why are investors suddenly obsessed with hardware?

Capital is moving out of software and back into physical systems. What actually changes when that happens? In this episode of VHTB, Justus Kilian, Brian Mejeur, and Matt Gjertsen look at the rise of what JPMorgan calls “Halo stocks”, heavy asset, low obsolescence companies spanning robotics, manufacturing, and infrastructure. We break down why investors are suddenly re-rating hardware, from AI-driven disruption in SaaS to geopolitical pressure on supply chains and a cultural shift toward rebuilding industrial capability. Beneath that momentum, a more complex reality is forming. Capital is moving faster than talent can adapt. Early-stage hard tech companies are raising quickly, but hiring remains constrained, with top engineers increasingly opting to found companies themselves or work in flexible, high-autonomy roles instead of traditional employment. What this means for founders becomes clearer: how vision and compensation are evolving, and how team structures are shifting in a market where money is abundant but alignment is harder than ever. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00] Introduction to VHTB and the “Halo Stocks” framework [01:48] Why investors are rotating from software into hardware [03:01] AI pressure, geopolitical risk, and the return of industrial strategy [07:32] COVID, supply chains, and the urgency to rebuild infrastructure [09:53] Why capital is flooding early-stage hard tech companies [12:25] Why top engineers are choosing founding over employment [16:40] Vision vs comp: what actually attracts great people today [18:49] The new rules of hiring in a capital-rich hard tech market EPISODE TAKEAWAYS * Why investors are shifting back into hardware, and what “Halo stocks” actually signal about the next cycle * How AI is reshaping software investing and pushing capital toward physical systems * Why supply chain fragility and geopolitics are accelerating demand for industrial capacity * Why “low obsolescence hardware” is more complicated than it looks in practice * The real hiring bottleneck in hard tech: too much capital, not enough aligned talent * Why top engineers are increasingly choosing founding or consulting over full-time roles * How compensation alone is losing power as a lever in elite technical hiring * Why storytelling and vision are becoming the most important hiring tools for founders * What this imbalance between capital and talent means for the next wave of hard tech companies Subscribe to VHTB for more insights on the talent, culture, and finance sides of space startups. Resources & Links * Space Capital [https://www.spacecapital.com/] * Better Every Day Studios [https://bettereverydaystudios.com/] * Ad Astra Talent Advisors [https://adastra.us/]

Q1 '26 Recap: NASA reset, SpaceX liquidity, and what comes next

What actually changes when leadership changes at NASA? You hear a lot about culture shifts, but what does that actually look like in practice? And how quickly does it show up in real decisions? In this episode, the VHTB team breaks down a packed Q1 2026, starting with the shift happening inside NASA. From the Starliner fallout to a renewed focus on accountability and transparency, they break down what changes when leadership sets a very different tone and how that impacts risk, decision-making, and culture across the organization. The potential SpaceX IPO could be a major inflection point for the entire ecosystem. With a wave of experienced talent potentially gaining liquidity, the question becomes what happens next. Do we see a surge of new founders, more early retirements, or a shift toward consulting and more flexible work? Financial freedom changes how people evaluate motivation, how investors think about teams in this environment, and why hiring and building are becoming more competitive. It reflects a broader shift across culture, talent, and capital and what that means for anyone building in hard tech. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00] Q1 2026 overview and why this quarter matters [01:00] What Happens When NASA Starts Owning Its Mistakes? [03:44] How Leadership at NASA Changes Risk and Decision-Making [05:58] What NASA’s Leadership Shift Actually Changes in Practice [09:59] The SpaceX IPO and the Next Wave of Space Founders [12:13] What Actually Drives Founder Motivation in Hard Tech? [16:27] The Rise of High-Conviction, High-Capital Space Companies [20:12] What’s Next for Hard Tech Investment and Space Launches? EPISODE TAKEAWAYS * Leadership defines culture most clearly in high-risk organizations where decisions carry real consequences * Transparency is not just cultural, it directly impacts trust, speed, and execution quality * Liquidity events don’t just create wealth, they reshape who builds, who stays, and who exits entire industries * When financial pressure changes, motivation becomes harder to read and harder to design around * Hiring is still one of the biggest bottlenecks in hard tech, even as capital increases * More capital is flowing into the ecosystem, but expectations for execution are rising just as fast * Building in hard tech is becoming more expensive, but also more structured and institutionalized than before Subscribe to VHTB for more insights on the talent, culture, and finance sides of space startups. Resources & Links * Space Capital: https://www.spacecapital.com/https://www.spacecapital.com/ [https://www.spacecapital.com/] * Better Every Day Studios: https://bettereverydaystudios.com/https://bettereverydaystudios.com/ [https://bettereverydaystudios.com/] * Ad Astra Talent Advisors: https://adastra.us/https://adastra.us/ [https://adastra.us/]

Where’s the line between pushing people and being an a*hole?

Where’s the line between pushing people to do their best work… and just being an asshole? It’s a question that comes up a lot in high-performance environments especially in hard tech, where the stakes are high and the margin for error is small. Because in industries like space, defense, and advanced engineering, “good enough” isn’t good enough. The standards are high for a reason. But how you enforce those standards? That’s where things get complicated. In this episode, Matt Gjertsen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/] from Better Every Day Studios [https://bettereverydaystudios.com/] is joined by Brian Mejeur [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-mejeur/]from AdAstra Talent Advisors [https://adastra.us/] and Justus Kilian [https://www.linkedin.com/in/justuskilian/] from Space Capital [https://www.spacecapital.com/] to talk through that tension. We get into what actually drives people to perform at their best and why simply pushing harder isn’t always the answer. We get into the difference between attacking the problem versus attacking the person, why self-motivation matters more than external pressure, and how culture shapes where that “line” actually sits. We talk about the reality that not everyone is motivated the same way. Some people thrive in intense, high-pressure environments. Others shut down completely. And if it’s not clear upfront, that creates real problems in hiring, retention, and performance. If you’re leading a team or working in one, this episode is a thoughtful look at how to balance high standards with respect, and how to build a culture that pushes people without breaking them. Episode Highlights [00:00] Why high standards matter more in hard tech [01:43] The fine line between pushing performance and crossing it [04:04] Why people only work hard when they’re bought into the mission [05:21] Self-motivation vs. forced motivation [08:09] Personal vs. problem-focused feedback [10:06] What happens when leaders go too far [12:00] The “asshole tax” of doing big, disruptive things [14:04] Why the line moves depending on context [15:00] The real job of a manager: driving performance, not venting Episode Takeaways * High standards are necessary in hard tech, but how you enforce them matters just as much. * People are more motivated by mission and belief than by pressure alone. * Great leaders focus criticism on the problem not the person. * Self-motivation (“batteries included”) is one of the most important traits in high performers. * Culture clarity is critical people need to know what they’re signing up for. * Intensity can drive performance, but only in high-trust environments. * The line between pushing and going too far isn’t fixed it moves based on trust, consistency, and alignment. Subscribe to VHTB for more insights on the talent, culture, and finance sides of space startups. Resources & Links * Space Capital [https://www.spacecapital.com/] * Better Every Day Studios [https://bettereverydaystudios.com/] * Ad Astra Talent Advisors [https://adastra.us/]