The impact of the "PayPal Mafia," a group of about 20 individuals who between them have gone on to invest in, found or lead some of the most well-known and successful startups such as LinkedIn, SpaceX, PayPal and more. 

‍

However, we're now witnessing the emergence of a new wave of entrepreneurs: the "SpaceX Mafia," made up of hundreds of former SpaceX engineers. To-date, the SpaceX Mafia has founded more than 46 companies and received more than a $1 billion in funding. The way the SpaceX Mafia has been able to usher in a new wave of innovative startups is because of the following factors:

Expertise: These engineers are not only brilliant in their fields and remarkably hardworking, but they've also been schooled in the art of building successful startups. They've honed their skills in one of the most ambitious companies on the planet and are now applying this knowledge to their own ventures.

Innovative: Many of these talented individuals are either founding their own companies or bringing their skills and expertise to other space startups or established tech firms, where they're helping build new space programs.

Diverse Contributions: Their influence extends beyond just space launch companies. These engineers are contributing to diverse sectors such as robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, manufacturing software, and satellite systems. This broad distribution of talent ensures that their impact is felt across the tech industry.

Trained Talent: The most underappreciated effect of SpaceX is this talent dissemination. The company is essentially a powerhouse for training future industry leaders and entrepreneurs, who go on to shape not just the space industry, but the entire tech ecosystem.

The rise of the "SpaceX Mafia" highlights the valuable role that companies like SpaceX play in fostering innovation. Their impact, although unheralded, is reshaping industries and is likely to drive technological progress for years to come. These are the companies from the SpaceX Mafia to watch based on key space economy industries:

Launch:

• Relativity Space
• ABL Systems
• Firefly Aerospace
• Ursa Major

Satellites:

• Muon Space
• K2 Space
• Apex
• Xona Space Systems
• Turion Space

Emerging Industries:

• Impulse Space
• Varda
• Astrolab
• Vast
• Argo Space

Manufacturing:

• Violet Labs
• First Resonance
• Epsilon3

Others:

• Freeform
• Duro Labs
• Parallel Systems

‍

Check out the next article in our SpaceX Series here!