The Team
We're hiring Cast & Crew
Gabriella Zielke
CEO
As CEO of Back to Space, Gabriella’s mission is to inspire humans to the stars. The Lunar Light pop-up experiences allow everyone to visit space in an immersive, near-future mixed reality. Gabriella is best known for founding Tech Wildcatters, the world’s first B2B accelerator in Dallas, TX. After selling Tech Wildcatters, she took a sabbatical to write a science fiction novel, multiple short stories, and a screenplay. Her first novel, The Sound of Creation, was published in 2022 and she will graduate with a Masters in Creative Writing & Literature from Harvard in 2024. She was a Cox Distinguished Merit Scholar during her MBA at Southern Methodist University and named Distinguished Young Alumni from the University of North Texas.
Danielle Roosa
Founder & CMO
Danielle is the granddaughter of Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa. She held roles at NASA HQ, MTV, and Premier PR in London. During Danielle’s time at NASA, she noticed a fundamental lack of interest in space exploration and a seed was planted. While in Los Angeles as an award-winning actor and writer, she founded Back to Space to combine her passion for space exploration, entertainment and entrepreneurialism.
Matt Thompson, PhD
COO
Matt is a physicist, engineer, and 4x startup founder who enjoys designing and implementing systems that keep things moving smoothly.
He started his professional career after earning a Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Texas. Having studied crystalline states of matter and ultra-thin atomic films, he secured a position at Motorola’s premier pilot line -- Advanced Products Research and Development Lab. Over the next 23 years he worked to develop advanced manufacturing processes and equipment and became a leader in digital data processing to extend chip manufacturing which is the source of the renowned “Moore’s Law.” During his career at Motorola, and its semiconductor spinoff, Freescale, he and his colleagues were awarded eight patents, as well as numerous technical publications in the field.
After leaving the manufacturing sector, Matthew was attracted to entrepreneurial endeavors, and joined newly-created Principal Solar, Inc., where he led the Principal Solar Institute. Working with a team of industry leaders, he developed a novel PV Module Rating system based on Lifetime Energy Production. Dr. Thompson ultimately was promoted to interim COO when he worked with the Board and CEO to execute a buyout of a 92MW solar facility in North Carolina.
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