The best time to join a rocketship is before everyone knows about it.
I’m excited to launch The Next 50: the 50 hottest early-stage startups to keep an eye on (and try to join).
Using @harmonic_ai’s data, the juiciest startup dataset out there, we looked at every early-stage startup and ranked them on headcount growth, recent funding, and investor interest.
We then picked the top 50.
Here's the full list: https://t.co/4NKVmf3qI9
We’ll update it quarterly, and I’d love your feedback on what other factors we should consider.
P.S. This is in addition to the Lenny 100, the top 100 well-known companies with the highest talent density, tackling the most ambitious problems: https://t.co/zko7uMaIUK
Happy Diwali! Today we celebrate the triumph of light over darkness. Our CEO @tejpaul, was recognized at the largest Diwali celebration outside of India for our team's role in the future of space.
New in @FortuneMagazine my take on how @NASA can help build a real commercial space economy without further tax payer burden as it replaces the @Space_Station - hint: connect supply chain, customers, and financing on day zero: https://t.co/tVeg6ACTXr
Congratulations @anuduggalnyc@seemacnbc for the Woman of the Year and Excellence in Media & Journalism awards. Being honored alongside you is an award of its own.
Iceland’s space research and exploration capabilities are now connected with international suppliers and financing thanks to the partnership between @IcelandSpace and @NebraExchange. Grateful to the ISA team for the collaboration.
https://t.co/SSyLGHpLXm
If there’s one lesson I’ve learned after a decade as an entrepreneur, it’s that any answer other than “yes” is “no”
Run a competitive process, but don’t chase.
More interest than expected? Great! Power is telling people no.
Get what you’re worth, my kings and queens
One of my mentors is an under the radar billionaire who operates largely on handshake partnerships.
He has a saying:
“If we’re going back and looking at legal documents…we’re no longer partners.”
It’s wisdom I didn’t appreciate at first, but boy has it proved accurate.
I moderated the Next Generation Space Infrastructure Plenary this week at IAC 2026. We covered orbital compute, satellite swarms, human spaceflight, and more. Historically, every space mission has been standalone, bringing everything it needed with it. To grow the space economy, we need shared infrastructure so missions can focus on what’s unique instead of rebuilding the same common systems. Thanks to Aayushi Doshi, Phoebe Dunbabin, Ezra Fielding, James Shin, and Manwei Chan for the great discussion, and to the @iafastro for the opportunity to bring this incredible group together.
Thank you @laurence_russel and @Via_Satellite for including my perspective on financing Europe's space ambitions. Europe is realizing that no single entity can build commercial space alone. The next phase requires a thriving market ecosystem.
Full story: https://t.co/OZRbaHGEP0
My dad worked as a deliveryman for the deli in front of the Twin Towers. Everyday he would bring back home a list of names he delivered to & my pregnant mom chose Cheryl as my name. After the first 1993 bombing he left to become a taxi driver. Today is personal #neverforget
The founder of Nebex, @tejpaul, explains that while many focus on manufacturing, the real hurdle in the space industry is the financial infrastructure required to facilitate complex cross-border procurement and trade finance
Nebex will be the financial exchange for space
For years, the advice was to move to San Francisco if you wanted a career in tech. That advice is now wrong. New York has become the most exciting place in the world to build.
A few reasons why:
1. The AI labs are here. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and hundreds of others all run meaningful operations in NYC. You can now build a serious frontier-tech career here without giving up anything.
2. Every major industry lives here, and so does its AI counterpart. New York doesn't only have "tech," but finance, media, advertising, fashion, healthcare, real estate, law, and commerce too, with their applied-AI layer counterparts being built on top of each one.
3. The talent pool is unlike anywhere else. SF gives you engineers. New York gives you engineers, plus world-class designers, salespeople, bankers, marketers, operators, creatives, and media people, all at the top of their fields. Companies will need all of them.
4. People actually want to live here. New York is unlike any other city with its density of restaurants, art, nightlife, fashion, and media - and the people working across these sectors.
If you're building something and you're more than just tech, I'd argue there's only one city for you right now.
Thanks @lukeknight & @Ronanchamberss for having me on @etnshow
Space Founders are finding revenue on @NebraExchange they never knew was reachable. $138 billion in government space spending, and most founders are only seeing a slice of it. Now there’s no excuse.