Podcast

March 13, 2026

Hélène Huby, CEO of The Exploration Company: ‘Only the crazy people change the world’

Hélène discusses dealing with very public failure as a CEO

Hélène Huby, founder and CEO of spacetech startup The Exploration Company, is not afraid to take risks — or fail.

Her company, which is only five years old, builds reusable and refillable vehicles to carry cargo to and from space stations in low-Earth orbit — and beyond. 

It’s already (semi-) successfully sent cargo into space — and back — at a fraction of the cost, and time, achieved by other companies. 

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On this episode of the Sifted podcast, Hélène shares The Exploration Company’s roadmap for 2026, including fundraising plans for a “significant amount of money” to build a high-thrust rocket engine. 

Hélène and Amy also get into: 

  • Why the space industry is set to more than double in value over the next decade 
  • Collaborating in space during a decidedly antagonistic geopolitical moment
  • Contracts in the works 
  • The ideal funding roadmap for a deeptech company 
  • Dealing with very public failure as a CEO 
  • And Hélène’s hopes and dreams for Europe’s space future 

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Maya Dharampal-Hornby

Maya Dharampal-Hornby is Sifted's editorial assistant and producer of Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast .

Amy Lewin

Amy Lewin is Sifted’s editor and host of Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast . Follow her on X, LinkedIn and Bluesky

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