Why Clean Up Space...and How Do You Build a Business Around It?

In the third and final episode of this mini-series, we hear from Nobu Okada, Founder & CEO of Astroscale. Since establishing Astroscale in 2013, Nobu has grown the company from a one-person venture into a global organization with offices in five countries, raised over $383 million in funding, and led the company to a successful IPO.  A highly respected figure in the space industry, Nobu is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics, an advisory board member of the Space Generation Advisory Council, and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He previously served as Vice President for Space Economy and Sponsorship at the International Astronautical Federation until 2023 and co-chaired the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Space Technologies until 2021. During his tenure, he played a key role in developing the Space Sustainability Rating, a system designed to promote responsible space operations.  Under Nobu's leadership, Astroscale has received numerous accolades, including the IAF Excellence in Industry (SME) in 2023, the Japanese Prime Minister's Award in 2022, and recognition as one of TIME100's Most Influential Companies in 2022. Nobu has also received individual recognition, including the 2020 SpaceNews Company Leader of the Year and the 2019 Forbes JAPAN Start-up of The Year. Before founding Astroscale, Nobu was an IT entrepreneur and strategy consultant, managing IT companies across Japan, China, India and Singapore. He successfully led one company to an IPO. Earlier in his career, he worked at McKinsey & Company and served in the Japanese Ministry of Finance. Nobu holds a bachelor's degree in Agriculture from the University of Tokyo and an MBA from the Krannert School of Business, Purdue University.