Mendler: Power limits space data generation while ground infrastructure limits throughput
Bridget Mendler · Inside The $100M Bet on the Future of Space | Northwood CEO on a16z · Mar 23, 2026 · at 25:42
Bridgit Mendler is the CEO and co-founder of Northwood Space, a satellite ground network startup. She discusses the core technical bottlenecks limiting the growth of the modern space economy.
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“I mean, like, our biased answer is that ground is, is really critical for that. Obviously, it's not the only thing. Like, I think you know, to unlock the innovation, like, you know, power is a huge constraint for space, and so, you know, being able to do more in space is influenced by that but also the amount of data throughput you can get from space. So, like, power improves, you know, how much data you could generate in space but then, Ground impacts how much data throughput you can have through space, which is critical for being able to actually deliver those missions to end users.”
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