Investing in the Next Evolution of the Space Economy: A Conversation with Tom Mueller CEO of Impulse Space

Overview:
Drew Wandzilak invests in breakthrough technologies that matter to the real world—systems that generate power, move hardware, secure nations, or decode biology. He focuses on companies operating in high-heat, high-speed, high-stakes environments where technical performance is existential and strategic value is measured in megawatts, meters per second, or mission success. Across aerospace, energy, and defense, Drew backs founders who don’t just pitch vision—they bend atoms, trajectories, and supply chains to make it real.

Funds actively worked on:
Yard Ventures
Green D Ventures
U.S. Strategic Tech Fund

Investment Areas of Focus:
His investment lens prioritizes platforms over point solutions, scale advantages rooted in physics or manufacturing, and mission alignment with long-term public interest. That includes nuclear reactors that deploy like data centers, orbital vehicles that reshape access to space, hypersonic systems built for rapid iteration, and genetic tools that bring diagnostics to the edge. These aren’t just technical moonshots—they’re foundational bets on how the next century will be powered, protected, and personalized.

Drew led Alumni Ventures’ investment in Impulse Space, which is building the in-space logistics layer for a high-frequency orbital economy. He backed Aalo Atomics, a small modular reactor company designing standardized, factory-built nuclear power for grid-scale deployment. He also invested in Astro Mechanica, which is reinventing hypersonic aerospace testing for the modern battlefield, and Acorn Genetics, which is miniaturizing genomics to enable low-cost, distributed DNA testing anywhere.

These companies reflect Drew’s broader strategy: to invest in enduring platforms that serve strategic industries and unlock decades of downstream innovation. He believes the next great venture outcomes will come not just from apps or algorithms, but from reengineering the physical world—and the infrastructure that underpins it.

LEARN HOW TO INVEST IN COMPANIES IN THIS SECTOR WITH ALUMNI VENTURES:

U.S. Strategic Tech Fund >>>

Pete joins Alumni Ventures from the $1.5B+ venture capital arm of Bertelsmann, where he was a Senior Director across the European Union, China, and U.S startup ecosystems. Previously a fellow at .406 Ventures and alumnus of the Harvard Innovation Lab, Pete has substantial entrepreneurial and startup operating background. He has an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth, an MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School, a Master’s with Distinction from Oxford, and a BA (magna cum laude) from Dartmouth. He has recently been selected as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Pete has a creative core as drummer for the indie rock band Filligar, which has been designated as “Cultural Ambassador” by the U.S. Department of State. He is an avid skier, marathon runner, and ice hockey player.

Tom Mueller, Founder and CEO of Impulse Space, is considered one of the world’s leading spacecraft propulsion experts. He has over 30 years of propulsion development experience at TRW, SpaceX, and now Impulse Space. At TRW, he led development of the TR-106 liquid rocket engine. As one of SpaceX’s founding members, he led the development of propulsion systems for the Falcon 1, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship Launch Vehicles, as well as the Dragon line of spacecraft. He played a crucial role in the development of the company’s reusable rocket technology, which has dramatically reduced the cost of launching payloads into space. Now as the leader of Impulse Space, he continues the development of new propulsion and power systems that will provide world class in-space transportation capabilities. Tom is building Impulse with the same engineering philosophy he created at SpaceX: by focusing on low cost and reliable systems realized through elegant engineering that does not follow convention. His ultimate vision for Impulse is to be the leading in-space transportation infrastructure that will accelerate the expansion of the overall space economy and help expand the human frontier into the stars.