Delian Asparouhov: Co-Founder of Varda

About this episode

Delian Asparouhov discusses his journey in the space industry and the innovative work at Varda Space Industries.

This week we chat with Delian Asparouhov! Delian is a Partner at Founders Fund and the President and Co-Founder of Varda Space Industries, one of the most ambitious companies redefining what’s possible in space and manufacturing. Varda is pioneering the orbital economy by producing pharmaceuticals and advanced materials in microgravity—unlocking breakthroughs that simply can’t be achieved on Earth. Before co-founding Varda, Delian earned a Thiel Fellowship while still an undergraduate, leaving MIT to move to Silicon Valley and build at the frontier of technology. Since then, he’s become a leading voice at the intersection of startups, deep tech, and national ambition. Beyond venture and space manufacturing, Delian is also the co-creator of the Hill & Valley Forum, which brings together leaders from Washington and Silicon Valley to strengthen collaboration around technology, defense, and national security. Born abroad and raised in Salt Lake City, Delian’s journey—from a young coder obsessed with space to backing and building category-defining companies—has been anything but conventional. Driven by intellectual curiosity and an appetite for hard problems, he’s helping shape…

People in this episode

Host: Erica Wenger

Guest: Delian Asparouhov

Topics covered

• space industry
• entrepreneurship
• technology
• pharmaceuticals
• microgravity
• national security

Keywords

• Delian Asparouhov
• Varda
• space manufacturing
• pharmaceuticals
• microgravity
• entrepreneurship
• technology

Sponsors

Brex, RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone, Athena

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Varda Space Industries, Founders Fund, Hill & Valley Forum, MIT

Places: Salt Lake City, Silicon Valley

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