Miami Herbert's MGT 402 class, “Out of This World Entrepreneurship,” is unlike anything else in the curriculum. What it makes possible for students is even harder to replicate.
With just 12 students, it creates the kind of access a larger class couldn’t. Led by Susan Amat, associate professor of professional practice at Miami Herbert, the course connects students directly with the founders, investors, and executives building the commercial space economy—through weekly guest speakers, special events, and experiential learning that extends well beyond the classroom.
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| UM Pride! With legendary Astronaut Michael A. Baker, who flew missions on Space Shuttles Atlantis, Columbia, and Endeavour. From left to right: Matt Berg (M.B.A. '18), Monica Rollins, Ashley Powell, Sophie Weinstein, Naomi-June Ghaliai, Sophie Pallman, Gavin Post, Luca Fox, Ascher Wells, Dr. Susan Amat, and Astronaut Michael A. Baker. |
In February, the class traveled to Houston for a four-day immersion trip. The week before departing, they hosted a private lunch at Miami Herbert with both the CEO and managing director of London-based Seraphim Capital, one of the world’s top space tech investment funds, giving students a firsthand look at how leading investors evaluate space ventures. Upon returning, they enjoyed a visit from Douglas Deok-Soo Kim, founder and CEO of Spacemap, a South Korean company using advanced algorithms to optimize satellite orbits and prevent collisions in an increasingly crowded low Earth orbit.
At the center of it all was the 2026 ASCENDxTexas space conference, where students met with Interlune founder Rob Meyerson, who previously led Blue Origin. Jaret Matthews, founder and CEO of Astrolab, brought perspective from his time at SpaceX, while Tim Crane, co-founder and CTO of Intuitive Machines, drew on a career at NASA—two examples of industry veterans who pivoted their expertise to build new businesses. They also met with Axiom Space CEO Jonathan Cirtain and Starlab Space CEO Marshall Smith, and got a behind-the-scenes tour of NASA's Johnson Space Center, with a special appearance from astronaut and VoyagerTechnologies chief human exploration officer Tim Kopra, who later led the students on a tour of the Starlab space station. Additionally, a private tour of Axiom included the next-generation Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit and their space station.
“Traveling to Houston and sitting across from CEOs who are building the future of the space industry made something that once felt distant feel real and possible,” said student Ashley Powell. “Hearing about the risks they took, the setbacks they faced, and the bold visions they are chasing changed the way I think about what is achievable.”
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| Astronaut and Voyager Technologies chief human exploration officer Tim Kopra shared his experiences while giving a behind-the-scenes tour at Johnson Space Center, detailing the space suit he wore several times during his more than 244 days in space across seven missions. |
For Ascher Wells, the trip upended his assumptions about entrepreneurship entirely. “Before this experience, entrepreneurship felt mostly like building fast and scaling quickly,” Wells said. “The conversations we had showed us that in industries like space and deep tech, success often depends on navigating policy, partnerships, and long technology timelines. It completely reframed how I think about what it means to be an entrepreneur.”
The trip was made possible through a generous gift from University of Miami donor Steve Dryden.
“Steve Dryden’s long‑standing engagement with the University reflects a deep belief in experiential learning and the power of exposure beyond the classroom,” said Scott Siegel, managing philanthropy officer at the University of Miami. “Over time, his philanthropy has consistently opened doors for students to learn directly from industry leaders, explore emerging frontiers, and see what’s possible for their own careers. Investments like this don’t just support a single trip or course—they help fuel the next generation of business leaders by giving students the confidence, perspective, and ambition to lead in a rapidly changing world.”
With “Out of This World Entrepreneurship” returning next year, Amat’s goal is clear: give students the kind of access that changes what they think is possible and prove that the next generation of space industry leaders doesn’t have to come from an engineering lab. The course already draws on examples of founders who have built space companies with as little as $60,000, which tends to surprise students who assume the industry requires hundreds of millions to enter.
“Our students were introduced directly into conversations with early-stage CEOs from innovative and validated companies like Saluts Space (Germany) and Cosmic Port (India), as well as leaders from some of the largest space companies in the world,” said Amat. “Next, we are examining insurance, architecture, and food and energy sustainability on the moon and Mars. The goal is to make the space industry feel accessible. With the sector projected to approach $1.9 trillion by 2035, I want students to understand that opportunities extend far beyond engineering and science into business, operations, policy, and entrepreneurship. And who knows? Maybe next time we’ll add Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk to the guest list.”
