‘Bridgit Mendler transitions from Disney Channel to CEO of Northwood Space, a new start-up company that secures .3M in seed funding: Brace for surprises!’ – WhatsNew2Day’

Bridgit Mendler transitions from child actress to CEO of a space startup, Northwood Space, after nearly 20 years in the entertainment industry.

Starting her career at 11 with voice roles in various films and TV shows, Mendler gained fame on Disney Channel’s Good Luck Charlie. Despite a successful acting career, she shifted her focus to education, earning degrees from USC, MIT, and studying at Harvard Law School.

Now, Mendler, along with her husband Griffin Cleverly and chief software officer Shaurya Luthra, co-founded Northwood Space. The company recently secured .3 million in seed funding, as reported by CNBC.

Mendler explained that the company’s name was inspired by a lake in New Hampshire where the idea originated during the COVID-19 pandemic. She highlighted the importance of bringing the impacts of space to people and the company’s mission to make data delivery more efficient.

Cleverly emphasized the need for faster data transfer from satellites to companies and plans to offer ground stations that can be installed in a matter of days, contrasting the current 18-month installation timeline for antennas.

Northwood Space aims to provide a service similar to Amazon Web Services or Microsoft’s Azure but for space data. The company hopes to conduct its first test with an in-orbit spacecraft later this year, enabling space companies to be more responsive to emerging use cases and missions.