SPEAKER INTERVIEW

Drew Busbee, Chief Operations Officer, Disruptive Technology Index (DTI) 

1) Drew, you’ve spent many years working closely with start-ups and visionary entrepreneurs. In your view, what does California need to do to truly cultivate talent and support emerging commercial ideas? 

There are a few key areas where California can improve to better support and retain aerospace and defense talent. One is looking at our existing workforce and creating more upskilling and reskilling opportunities for people interested in breaking into the field. A lot of folks think working in space requires a technical degree, but there’s a huge demand for machinists, fabricators, and technicians—roles that are essential but often overlooked. Another opportunity is earlier exposure: if we introduced aerospace-focused curriculum at the high school level, more students could see viable career paths in the industry before they even enter college or the workforce 

2) What are the main challenges faced by space start-ups in California? 

The biggest challenge is, ironically, space—physical space. While California has an incredible concentration of technical talent, capital, and federal resources, startups often struggle to find the facilities they need to test, prototype, and manufacture. It’s especially tough for early-stage companies trying to scale. On top of that, the high cost of living makes it hard to retain talent long-term, especially when employees know their dollar can go further in other states. 

3) What strategies should be implemented to support them? 

I’d love to see more incentives for aerospace and defense startups—not just to launch in California, but to stay here and grow. That could look like tax credits, hiring incentives for working with in-state universities, or streamlined permitting and zoning processes that help companies build faster. I'd also love to see more of these companies offering dual-use capabilities at the state or local level. A lot of them are building solutions for federal customers, but those same technologies could provide real value here at home. 

4) How important is collaboration for a thriving space ecosystem? 

Collaboration is absolutely essential. Mike Evans, the founder of Grubhub, talks in his book Hangry about the phenomenon of “restaurant row”—how having restaurants close together doesn’t hurt business, it actually helps everyone thrive. I think the same is true for space startups and ecosystem players. When companies, investors, government partners, and research institutions are all working in proximity—sharing ideas, resources, and challenges—it brings in more energy, more capital, and more innovation for everyone involved. 

5) And finally, DTI invests in capabilities. Based on your expertise, what gaps do you see that start-ups could address today? And what are the most topical developments right now in terms of space capabilities? 

Some of the hottest topics right now are advanced manufacturing, AI and autonomy, and responsive space. There’s a real need for startups that can build space-qualified hardware at scale, use AI for mission planning and autonomous operations, and develop systems that can launch or adapt quickly as the mission changes. We're seeing a lot of momentum—and funding—from both VCs and government in these areas. Startups that can move fast and solve real problems here are in a great position to lead the next wave of growth.   

See Drew and more speakers in-person at our 2025 conference!