Joe is an experienced manager and engineer with an extensive background in technology development and new venture finance. In addition to leading Space Angels Network, Joe is Director of Program Development at Space Adventures, Ltd., the only company that currently provides opportunities for space tourism having facilitated the missions of eight private individuals to visit the International Space Station. Joe also currently works with several new aerospace ventures as a consultant focusing on finance and strategy.

Previously, Joe managed a 65-person regional sales team at McMaster-Carr, a national industrial supply distributor and a key supplier to the aerospace industry. Earlier, Joe worked as a Payload Systems Engineer and Project Manager at Boeing Satellite Systems where he contributed to the design, manufacture, test, and operations of several commercial communication satellites. While at Boeing Joe served twice as Executive Producer of Yuri's Night Los Angeles.

Joe holds a BS in Engineering-Physics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, an MS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California, and an MBA from Harvard Business School where he was an Arthur Rock Entrepreneurial Fellow and semi-finalist in the MIT 100k business plan competition.

Guillermo Söhnlein has spent more than ten years in leadership roles with various technology startups in Silicon Valley and the Washington DC area. He is currently Co-Founder and CEO of OceanGate, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization focused on deep ocean exploration and marine research. He is also Chairman of the Marine Technology Society's Ocean Exploration Committee.

Guillermo was the Founder and Chairman of the International Association of Space Entrepreneurs, an online community that is currently managed by the Space Frontier Foundation. Previously, he was Co-Founder of Milo, a San Francisco-based speech recognition application development firm that was acquired by Voxeo in 2001. He has served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps as a Judge Advocate and currently serves on the Advisory Boards of several technology ventures.

Guillermo earned an A.B. in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley and a J.D. from the University of California Hastings College of the Law.

Robert Jacobson is a multi-faceted entrepreneur and founding member of Desert Sky Holdings, a Los Angeles based boutique private equity group that focuses on below the radar opportunities. Robert’s varied professional experience includes real estate marketing & brokerage, music production, publishing, business development, and coaching. He is former Vice President of American International Realty where he oversaw several commercial office properties. Robert has also served as Chief Investment Strategist for American Trade Group where he identified unique market opportunities for international trade. Robert currently works with portfolio companies and clients in the areas of marketing and business development.

A life-long space enthusiast, Robert was inspired by the Ansari XPRIZE competition to personally and professionally involve himself in the entrepreneurial space industry through research, advocacy, investment, and leadership. Additionally, Robert is the co-founder of 62MileClub, the premier source for entertainment and information on all things New Space. A born promoter, improviser, team builder, and dealmaker, he is passionate about incorporating creativity into business.

Robert is a graduate of the University of Southern California where he studied Music and Business. Robert also holds an MFA from California Institute of the Arts.

Amaresh Kollipara is a seasoned strategy consultant, financial advisor, and entrepreneur with international expertise. He is a Founder and Managing Partner of Earth2Orbit, LLC, which is a global provider of satellite launch services. Earth2Orbit is working with the Indian Space Research Organization to provide commercial launch services to a variety of satellite clients. Amaresh also co-produced the first and second annual Space Venturing Forum, an entrepreneurial event hosted by the National Space Society.

Amaresh is fascinated by the science of space exploration. He believes that involvement from the entrepreneurial sector, via emerging applications such as nanosatellite based communication and microgravity based R&D, is an essential enabler for continued exploration. To this end, Amaresh serves as a strategic advisor to a generation of space entrepreneurs by helping them develop breakthrough businesses. He enjoyed a successful career with the Strategy group of Accenture, where he managed key strategy offerings and developed recommendations for Global 500 clients. He has been influential in pricing multi-million dollar private equity deals as well as in assisting clients to strategically allocate large-scale investments.

Amaresh holds an MBA degree from the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University. He also earned a B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Neurobiology from the University of California at Berkeley.

Christopher is an experienced aerospace professional with over a decade of involvement in the space launch industry. He began his career as an RF Engineer for Boeing Sea Launch, where he supported multiple launch campaigns from the ship-based equatorial launch site. After business school he completed a business development internship in the SpaceX Washington D.C. office before joining Bain & Company as a consultant in Atlanta.

Christopher has a demonstrated passion for teaching, mentoring and tutoring, and enjoys volunteering with various youth groups including the AIAA Education Alley and the Boy Scouts of America. He has served as the Pre-College Outreach Co-Chair on the Executive Committee of the LA Section of the AIAA and has mentored university engineering groups at Cal State Long Beach and USC. Christopher is fluent in Russian, and has traveled extensively for business and pleasure, including a 2-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Donetsk, Ukraine ('97-'99).

Christopher earned an MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia as a Jefferson Fellow, an MS in Astronautics from the University of Southern California, and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Brigham Young University as a member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society.