Tess Hatch

Tess Hatch: Aerospace Engineer Turned Frontier Tech VC

Tess Hatch is a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She focuses on investing in frontier technologies, specifically:

• The commercialization of space
• Drones and autonomous vehicles
• Agriculture and food technology
• Defense technology

Background

• Earned a bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan and a master's degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering from Stanford University14
• Worked at Boeing and then SpaceX, integrating government payloads with the Falcon 9 rocket14
• Remains involved with Stanford as a co-teacher, board advisor for the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, and founder of the Stanford Aero/Astro Alumni Association14

Investing Philosophy

• Invests in technology and people who believe frontier tech can solve societal problems like climate change and food shortages13
• Encourages founders to do diligence on her as she does on them, asking about her performance during both highs and lows1
• Stays calm under pressure, a skill honed during the "Seven Minutes of Terror" of the Curiosity Mars landing1

Notable Investments

• Board director at companies like Spire Global, Iris Automation, DroneDeploy, Phantom Auto, Halter, and Lumachain24
• Investor in Boom Supersonic2

Vision for the Future

• Believes space travel will become as common as air travel in our lifetimes1
• Sees space tech as key to humanity becoming a multi-planet species and solving problems on Earth3
• Hopes to one day travel to space herself4

Tess Hatch has been recognized for her work, earning a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30 in Venture Capital.14 She is a frequent speaker and writer on the future of space and frontier tech.4