Matt Gialich is the Co-Founder and CEO of AstroForge, an asteroid mining company founded in 2022 that aims to extract platinum group metals from near-Earth asteroids to redefine sustainable mining practices. With over a decade of experience leading high-performing engineering teams, Gialich holds a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His career began at Toyon Research Corporation as an analyst developing novel navigation algorithms, followed by key roles at Virgin Orbit, where he led the flight software and GNC teams and oversaw avionics development. He later served as Director of Vehicle Software at Bird, where he met co-founder Jose Acain, sparking the idea for AstroForge amid their shared passion for space. Previously, Gialich was co-founder and CEO of Ex Scientia Technologies. A Y Combinator alumnus, he has guided AstroForge to successful missions, including Mission 1's launch, and advocates for commercial space innovation to address resource scarcity on Earth. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoujZQZatbqy4KGcgjpVxQ/join Shawn Ryan Show Links SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/@ShawnRyanShow Sign up: https://shawnryanshow.com/pages/newsletter Support the Show: https://www.patreon.com/VigilanceElite Download Free Content: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lF-8_5jwRc5eAhzDkqqCOp-6yvd05vAw?usp=sharing Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shawn-ryan-show/id1492492083 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5eodRZd3qR9VT1ip1wI7xQ?si=59f9d106e56a4509 Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shawnryanshow Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawnryanshow/ Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawnryanshow/ Follow on X: https://twitter.com/ShawnRyanShow SRS Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4pqo9Uoh0WuUKxw0BmaK1yrg9Kd7E4lk #vigilanceelite #shawnryanshow Matt Gialich Links: X - https://x.com/MattGialich LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-gialich AstroForge - https://www.astroforge.io Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: https://simplisafe.com/srs https://shawnlikesgold.com https://bunkr.life – USE CODE SRS Go to https://bunkr.life/SRS and use code “SRS” to get your 25% off your family plan https://shopify.com/srs https://bubsnaturals.com – USE CODE SHAWN https://moinkbox.com/srs 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:53 Meet Matt Gialich, CEO of AstroForge 01:39 Challenges of Space Startups 03:35 Why Mine Asteroids? 05:08 Cost and Feasibility of Missions 08:57 Asteroid Composition and Targeting 13:40 Communication Across the Cosmos 19:28 Extraterrestrial Life and Alien Theories 25:48 Helium-3, Lunar Mining, and Future Energy 32:23 Platinum Group Metals and Market Impact 41:01 AstroForge’s Missions: Vestri and Odin 46:32 Deep Space Communication and National Security 58:23 Mining Techniques and Economic Viability 01:14:54 Regulation, Capitalism, and Human Advancement 01:20:54 Planetary Defense and Space Exploration 01:26:11 Future of Space Tech and Exploration 01:33:27 Scientific Discoveries and Theories 01:49:10 Advice for Future Innovators