MSU Research Foundation Podcast
The MSU Research Foundation Podcast takes you behind the scenes of research and entrepreneurship within Michigan State University's ecosystem. Discover how ideas create impact, with stories from dedicated researchers, ambitious entrepreneurs, and the innovators shaping Michigan's future. From breakthrough discoveries to startup journeys, explore how the MSU Research Foundation helps fuel innovation and economic growth across the state.
MSU Research Foundation Podcast
Building Tow Trucks for Space with Troy Morris
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In this episode, Pete Martin talks with Troy Morris, co-founder and CEO of KMI, about building “tow trucks for space” and the company’s mission to keep space clear for future generations.
Troy discusses the growing challenge of orbital debris, why satellites need servicing and repositioning, and how KMI is developing spacecraft capable of moving objects in orbit. The conversation explores KMI’s REACCH technology, testing aboard the International Space Station, the growing commercial and national security opportunities around space infrastructure, and what sets the company’s approach apart in an increasingly active space economy.
Pete and Troy also discuss KMI’s roots in Michigan, the journey from Northern Michigan University to building the company in Marquette, and the importance of investors who bring more than capital to the table. Troy looks ahead to a future where in-space servicing becomes routine and KMI helps build the infrastructure needed to support a growing economy in orbit.
Host: Pete Martin
Guest: Troy Morris, Co-Founder, KMI
Producer: Jenna McNamara
Music: "Devil on Your Shoulder" by Will Harrison, licensed via Epidemic Sound
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Hey, it's Dave. In today's episode, Pete Martin, our director of Portfolio Management at the Foundation, is having a conversation with Troy Morris. Troy is one of the founders of KMI, a portfolio company of ours that does space logistics and, get this, orbital debris removal. I hope you enjoy this episode!
Pete MartinHey everybody, Pete Martin here, back again with uh one of our great portfolio companies at KMI and the founder, Troy Morris. Troy, how are you doing?
Troy MorrisI'm doing great today. Thanks for having me, Pete. Good to see you as always.
Pete MartinIt's a pleasure, man. So let's learn a little bit more about you and KMI and what y'all are doing.
Troy MorrisYeah. So uh at KMI, I get the pleasure of serving as one of the three co-founders. I serve as CEO. Uh and at KMI, we are building tow trucks for space. Um, so that is the uh normal opening line that at least gets people's interest up. Wait, say that again. We are building spacecraft to move objects in space, not too dissimilar, but a lot more complicated than your neighborhood trow truck.
Pete MartinUh and how the heck did you decide that tow trucks for space was, first of all, a problem, secondly, a problem we're solving, and third, like a problem that had to be solved right now.
Troy MorrisYeah, uh it's been a problem uh since the second thing launched into space. Uh because as much as humans love to see, you know, see an open ocean, be like, we'll just put a bunch of boats in there and we'll be able to sail across the world. Humanity did the same thing with space, and much like our oceans, which now there's you know rules of the road and you know, get port on this side, starboard on that, uh, we started to come to, yeah, space is really big, but there's only so many specific spots around our planet that are great for science and commerce and other pieces. And a lot of people try to put a lot of different things into those similar spots, and humans aren't always perfect. And so, whether from mistakes, accidents, or ignorance, uh things start to stack up of debris, the old satellites of 20 years ago. Uh, but on the ocean they float on your highway, you know, they kind of break a wheel and pull off to the side. In space, they keep moving at 17,500 miles per hour as a minimum speed. And so the thing that got Adam, Austin, and I all interested in this was we were fascinated with space, we were working in aerospace adjacent fields, and it was the reusable launch rockets that were going to make space accessible to everyone. Great. Except there's already this huge debris problem. There's already this lack of mobility in space. Uh, as much as I'd love being one of the people who now everyone can go to space, that's a big problem. If everyone goes at once and acts inappropriately, no one can go to space. Uh, so it's kind of uh taking care of it for ourselves and our future generations.
Pete MartinYeah, you mentioned, well, first of all, thank you, because I agree. You you are taking care of space for everyone from for now and for generations to come. That is awesome. Uh, but you mentioned your co-founders. Uh, how did you guys how did you all meet?
Troy MorrisYeah, so we all met uh at our undergrad at Northern Michigan University, you know, the first school that people think about when they think about education in uh Michigan. Um, but it was it was really the great place for us. Uh, we all ended up there through different paths and journeys. Uh, but Austin and Adam were randomly assigned as roommates uh back in the dorms. And uh I was the older brother to Austin. Austin is our uh chief technology officer today. Uh but at the time he was a you know starting mechanical engineering student, and he walked over to see his uh roommate and said, "Hey, is that the Tikovsky rocket equation on your whiteboard?" And I I wish we had had a recording or at least a freaking Polaroid uh of Adam who was going to be going to get his degree in computer and math and science at that point, saying, "Yes, why do you know that? Are we going to be friends?" Uh and so we did. We became friends, uh, but it took about a decade from first meeting uh at school to you know starting up the company to the level that we're at today. Uh we've stood in each other's weddings, but uh it all started back in uh Marquette, Michigan.
Pete MartinYeah, so you you met in Marquette. You said it's been 10 years, or it took 10 years. Uh you you, I think I recall this correctly, you all left Michigan for a time. Is that correct?
Troy MorrisUh unfortunately and forcibly. Uh Adam went to New York, Austin to Philly, myself uh to Chicago, uh, to pursue the corporate jobs that we wanted to earn those paychecks, but we also wanted to work on cool things. And at the time, you couldn't do both in Marquette. Uh so yeah, we were forced like many others uh to be part of that brain drain of Michigan. Um, and regretting it, I wouldn't say uh minutes later, but definitely by the end of the first day, you're like, "God, this just ain't Michigan".
Pete MartinYeah, yeah, yeah. Uh my own, my own history uh having to leave Michigan to go build a career and being gone for much longer than I thought I would be, right? And then coming home to Michigan and realizing that uh yes, that trend did exist, that the brain drain in Michigan did exist, and now there's a new trend where Michigan's population is growing more than it it has in the last 20 years. The city of Detroit even is growing for the first time in 60 years, 60 years, right? And now multiple years in a row of of growth down in southeast Michigan here. Uh so agreed that uh, well, I agreed, and again, thank you for being part of the cool trend, which is yes, you can build really cool companies here and get really uh high-paying jobs, great jobs uh in Marquette, Michigan and other other other cities and towns all across Michigan. So super cool. Thank you. Okay. One uh just fun question. You met you met these guys uh uh in Marquette. Are you originally from Marquette? Where are you from?
Troy MorrisNo, all three of us are uh not even Michiganders, let alone yoopers. Uh so Austin and I grew up uh in the cornfields outside of Chicago. Uh and Adam was, you know, just a cornfield away over in Iowa. Uh having driven that road between us, it is just cornfields and one river, but uh it's something that none of us uh grew up here. We grew up in a very uh corn fed part of the Midwest. And we discovered lakes and rivers and hiking and waterfalls. We're like, well, hold a darn second. We can have our winters and natural beauty literally didn't know as an option. So that was part of the beauty of Michigan, is what you know caught our attention. But it was the people why we stayed and why we wanted to come back. I love it.
Pete MartinUh adopted Michiganders, you are welcome. Uh you you were just the same. Okay. Uh so back to the company and the product. Thank you for for entertaining me. So somebody uh uh a company has a satellite in space. Uh that satellite experiences a problem. That's that's when you come in, right? What is what's like who experiences this problem? What is the what's the issue? How do you come in to help?
Troy MorrisYeah, uh, I I think the first part of that is you know, who experiences this issue is uh think back to your own devices. Uh so not just to you, Pete, but to the audience. Um, have you ever had a phone, computer, or uh TV that works forever? Most of us , no. Uh something breaks. Technology is fantastic, magical, and fickle. And it's much the same to a higher degree in space. Uh, you're not just dealing with uh, you know, the wear and tear of life. You have radiation coming from the stars in our sun. You have uh launch that is one of the most destructive environments that humans regularly put our technology through that can sometimes rattle things apart. Um, and you have these devices that were designed 20 years ago, built 10 years ago, launched on that rocket, sent into the uh open uh environment of space against the sun and heat and cool. And yeah, human things are faulty. Uh so eventually something breaks, something runs out. Um, even if the system runs completely as engineered, you just run out of fuel. In any of those cases, I've yet to see a satellite that lasts forever. And so KMI is offering the opportunity to go up and either keep that satellite where it is. It's you know, taking pictures of the rainforest or watching for hurricanes, let it keep doing that even if it's running low on fuel, the engine lights on, or when, as all uh human devices do, it does fail, we're there to go grab it and safely get out of the way.
Pete MartinSo you can you can de-orbit a satellite as needed, uh, or you can reposition a satellite too. Super cool. And have you uh have you, I know the answer to this, but for for uh for fun, have you been to space? Not you personally.
Troy MorrisUh my face, my face has been to space. It was actually on the International Space Station during a uh conference we did a few years back when I was meeting the safety teams for our uh project that was up there. Um so my face has been there, my name has been there on our experiment. Troy's flesh and blood, not yet. Um, so it's something that we've had projects, but uh I I would go as a tourist in a minute. Uh I have mad respect for the astronauts and uh many people who earn their way to space. Uh, I'm waiting for it to be like a Disney trip. Let me just go take a picture with Mickey and come home. But I myself have not yet been.
Pete MartinWell, one day, and you're you're a lot further than most people there. But your your product has been to space.
Troy MorrisCorrect. Yes. We were fortunate, hardworking, and lucky enough um to build up our uh initial technology uh known as REACCH. Uh, we've got videos on our website. Also, it is the highest performing ISS video on their Instagram. Uh we're something nearly 30 million views, almost a million likes, almost a million. Um, but it shows our multi-linkage tentacle technology uh grappling a unprepared object inside the space station. Uh, and so getting all of the permissions, all of the testing to not only get to station, but then we're gonna release this tentacle monster uh was something that was quite a bit of a challenge. But uh the controls and the systems built by our wonderful team, operated by our team, but on hand with uh Suni Williams and other astronauts, just validated a thousand times over all that we'd been thinking and trying to prove. It's right there in the videos. So getting to operate on space station was a bucket list item I didn't even have three years ago, uh, let alone now that we've completed uh 20 hours plus of uh testing on the space station.
Pete MartinYeah, so your your technology makes it to space. NASA astronauts test that technology in space, give you feedback. And I think you you were able to bring some of those astronauts back to Michigan, back to the UP.
Troy MorrisYeah, in the uh I'm saying weeks that she came back to Earth, uh, there's you know some interesting stories to go find on Wikipedia for Suni Williams' extra time in space. Um, but between one of our advisor, Dr. Anna Fisher, uh, who uh she actually caught satellites during her own shuttle mission up to space. So she had amazing insight of "Hey, humans have only done this a few times. I'm one of them." Uh, plus then Suni Williams being able to come back to l ittle Marquette. Uh, she flew in, expected to walk over to the rental car counter, and we had to inform her, no, you you should have ordered that a few weeks ago. One of us will go pick you up. Uh, so we had to give her a personal ride from the airport. Um, so you know, it's something that uh was really enlightening. But then having her on site with the engineers, the team, and we also brought her out to the community, spoke with students, um, brought our parents up to meet her as well. Uh, and we even went cliff jumping at Black Rocks. But of the many cool things that are able to, you know, brag to Michigan ders of like, yeah, we went swimming in Lake Superior with an astronaut. What else would you do? The the insight that we got from being uh with someone who was that close to you, our life and blood for years was her telling us how it smelled when the experiment ran. That was not a qualifier we ever needed to know. We can see video, we can see the data platforms, we can do all this stuff. I never needed or wanted, and now I'm so happy I have to know how it smelled. Um, much like a power tool for those who are asking the next question. Uh, it smells like a power tool running off of just all those different components running against each other, which also space itself smells like uh seared steak and brake fluid, is what I've heard many times. So, not the best uh scents you'll ever have on Earth, but that's why it's not on Earth. So, yes, getting her to come back to Marquette with other astronauts and other people, uh, she's been one of our favorite guests.
Pete MartinI love it. Okay. Uh so REACCH, your technology. You mentioned tow trucks for space, but also it has like a tentacled arm, which is or or arms, which is what it uses to grab onto other uh objects in space, other satellites and reposition them. Uh what else is out there? Are you the only ones that are doing this? Or are there other other companies and what separates you from the crowd?
Troy MorrisYeah, so there uh is a number of groups trying to do this around the world. Uh, this is something that has been identified as a problem since Don Kessler was still active at NASA. He's wonderfully retired, enjoying his time on the beach, is he well deserved. Um, but there's groups in China, Switzerland, Japan, uh here in the United States. There's a few different entities working on different subsets of the problem. Uh, one was the recent uh Catalyst mission to try and save a NASA Swift Observatory uh up in space. Um they're trying some different techniques. Uh then there's Northrop Grumman has a group that also in the last month launched. Uh they're doing a very, and I say this with absolute politeness to Rob and his team, a slow and steady of we are building to go and perform this servicing to geo satellites way out there, very expensive, very challenging. At KMI, we're looking to kind of you know address that missing middle of not just okay, we need to invest a whole bunch of money to try and do something quick. That's a band-aid. That's great. It helps, you know, stop the bleeding today, versus we're planning out this long, delicate surgery. That's also great when you have the time. We found talking to our customers, being able to address that middle of being affordable relative to space terms and being addressable to a wide variety of assets. That's where customers are just demanding and begging between emergency and planning a surgery years, years in advance. They want something in between.
Pete MartinHow is how is um gosh, the the SpaceX IPO, the all of the all of the activity around space right now, how is that affecting you all?
Troy MorrisIt's it's been really interesting. Of uh one, uh the financial questions that we get as uh not even rocket scientists. We're we're adjacent to rocket science, a world dynamicist. Um a lot more financial questions than we were getting a year or two ago uh as people are looking at exactly that. There's a lot of money invested into this area. How is that impacting us? Uh and in the most, it's a rising tide. Uh, we've seen a huge increase in inbound inquiries from potential investors, uh, and we're not actively raising right now. So it's something like, you know, when we're not hiring and we get inbound resumes from good people, it's a good sign. Um, and it shows that there's an appetite in the market. So uh there are some big things to come for uh KMI specifically, but also I think the industry at large. Uh and some of that comes from that just rising demand and not just SpaceX, but other launch companies, other ways to space, and a number of novel activities in space, not just us and our tow truck tentacle monster.
Pete MartinYeah, we're seeing we're seeing both uh defense use cases. Actually, let's talk about that for a second. Uh so in in addition to being able to move things around, reposition satellites, de-orbit satellites that have run out of uh like that that have reached their end of life, uh, there are defense use cases for KMI as well.
Troy MorrisUh absolutely. And in defense was, I think, the first idea we ever had. I mean, the tagline of the company is still keeping space clear for all. And so defending human lives in space, I hope to never, you know, be on that life or death decision that things have been well handled well enough, but it's a reality for us. And that defense part comes down the pipeline of if we're moving and protecting things so they don't hit uh our satellites, you know, they don't hit the satellite that's tracking a hurricane about to hit Florida, that's defense for us. There's more aspects that get a little bit uh closer to that national security level. Um, but it's something that KMI has been significantly funded with our SBIRs, STTRs, with the United States government. Uh, we've been able to get access to testing and resources we would not have alone. Um, but much as you look at the academia and everything from Tang on up, there's a lot of innovations that come from space tech. Uh, and whether that space tech ends up directly in the pockets of GIs or uh guys and girls going off to the mall, there's a lot of different inter-uh congruent paths that happen from technology development. So absolutely we have uh dual use for being able to protect and defend just normally once it's floating in space. We're not exactly going to be on the battlefield tomorrow. Not really the design of this technology or its application, but uh keeping space clear for all is absolutely a defense need.
Pete MartinBut we're we're seeing that a lot. Uh the the macro environment in in in Michigan, certainly, because we have the expertise in Michigan, we have the historical expertise in in our state in in defense. But there are a lot of companies in our portfolio and beyond that are here in Michigan that are building dual use, that are building for for uh for dual use technologies. And it's even uh so you know we run PitchMI, the the state's largest pitch competition, uh two million dollars in prizes. Really fun, really cool. Uh and for anyone listening, I highly encourage you to attend any of these events. They're happening from September 15th through October 1st if you want to see some great companies that are building in Michigan. But particularly, we have a defense and aerospace category for PitchMI this year uh because of how strongly that has come on over the last couple of years. You have re-industrialized in Southeast Michigan, which is which is a lot of advanced manufacturing and also defense and dual use technology. And I suspect we're going to see many great people uh at that event in Grand Rapids on the 15th. I hope you guys are able to make it too. I know you're you're you know beyond you uh you're overqualified for PitchMI, but I do hope that you all are able to attend.
Troy MorrisUh we are absolutely, it's been on our calendar. And I was like, if you're not gonna drop the city, I was going to. So thankfully you got yourself prepared, Pete. But no, it's uh absolutely something that we're uh intending to have some of the team there. Uh it's just a question of whether it'll be myself, one of the co-founders, or one of our fantastic team members. Uh, because thankfully we're not just in Marquette. We've got uh team members downstate across the state and a few across the country. Um so it's nice that I don't have to try and split in two or teleport to be all at all these amazing events. Um, but PitchMI is one that is absolutely fantastic. And I was glad I was able to uh even just view the stage a little bit back at the uh Detroit experience last year. So the groups that I've met from it have been fantastic and just showing um, you know, K MI might feel young to us still, but we're you know almost middle-aged in this startup ecosystem. There are some new hot shots coming right out of uh the cradle, and uh they're bringing in amazing ideas, amazing opportunities. Uh, so we're just happy to play our part in this big ecosystem.
Pete MartinYeah. If uh for for listeners that are interested in aerospace and defense, you show up to that event on September 15th. There will be great companies there. There will also be great people that are involved in this industry, like the Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation for the State of Michigan and some other folks. There are announcements that are not yet public that will be coming out between now and the 15th. Uh so keep your eyes peeled for that, or show up uh on the 15th. You'll see that. Uh okay. Um, gosh, uh, you have some, so speaking of announcements, you have some news that will, you always have some news that's like just on the horizon, like really cool things that you all are doing. Uh, you don't have to share anything publicly now, but I don't know if there's a teaser or anything that you want to give to folks that are listening.
Troy MorrisUh I think from when we discussed of when this plans to uh publish, uh, there should be news, if not already released, uh, in the next 48 hours or so. Um, because yeah, KMI has been long working with some national partners, um, both on the national security ecosystem. Uh, the state of Michigan got involved with this uh coming uh announcement, um, some capital partners in the state and outside of the state, uh, and really just being able to prove out the real next stage of KMI's growth. Um, so we've been uh impatiently waiting on that news only for almost this entire year. But it's something that uh from our conversations, uh it has passed through the uh necessary secretaries at the administration level. Um so we're very excited for not just what it proves and shows that we can build together, but as we're able to deploy on this as we did on our previous contracts to the ISS or of uh research, um, we come to play and we play hard uh we will execute uh very well on those contracts. Uh so it's something that's been a little bit of a badge of honor as we go and talk to some of those partners. They're normally used to talking to tech companies that might be from the West Coast or from a traditional aerospace location in Texas or Florida and being able to prove that not only can we do it from the Midwest, but we do it on budget and ahead of time. Oh, I enjoy hearing that from a customer every single time. Uh like, no, no, no, just say it one more time. Sorry, didn't hear you my good ear. Say how much you love us, you like us. The Midwest is great. Yes, thank you. And uh, where do you think we're based? Marquette, Michigan. There she is. So uh no, we're we're having a lot of fun with it. Um, even while sitting on a few different announcements, that one will be a big relief to be able to share with the whole world out there very soon.
Pete MartinYeah, this is this is advice for founders that are listening. That I've seen some phenomenal pitch decks uh from startups in the companies in our portfolio that are getting ready to raise their next round. That the things that are always the most exciting are the really, really validating points. So if you can say, you know, this, you know, Google introduced us to people, or you know, I have this quote from the you know astronauts at NASA that are that are telling us how cool our company is. Extremely validating, really, uh, really good to see because it shows that other people that have a lot more knowledge than we necessarily do in a particular space love the thing that that you're building. So super cool.
Troy MorrisUh okay. And I want to build on that for a second to the other founders, or if you're just listening to this for the fun of supporting you know the Michigan ecosystem. If you get good compliments from your boss or a customer in whatever you do, even if the you know uh daycare drop off said, "Oh, you're such a great parent", write that down, email to yourself a week later or something, because we're all human. Sometimes it's nice to have pick me ups, even if it's not always to go on, you know, splash on the deck. It's okay to have a little little victory lap, a little hall of fame. You know what? I am great. I am doing something awesome, and I'm the best at what I do. So that's talking with Troy, but peep back to the interview we're doing here.
Pete MartinAll right. Uh so let's let's look ahead. So it's uh let's say it's 10 years from now. So it's 2036. Uh KMI is wildly successful. Uh, what does that mean? What does the world look like if you've you've set out and you've accomplished your dreams?
Troy MorrisYeah, so uh in 2036, so uh by that point, KMI will be operating a number of these spacecraft in a number of orbits to the point that it is politely boring. Um, much the way that for most of the world, rocket launches have become almost mundane. Uh, it's hard to keep track of all of them launching because there's so much happening so many places. That's the goal for the next uh 10 years is get these in-space operations to the level of mundane. Um, it's still cool to the dorks like me for you know, you see a cool train go past or a plane take off or land. It's still fun. But to the layman, it's like, yeah, humans can do that, of course. What we're building in 2035 is the collection station, is the operating platform in space. So it's not just, you know, like backpacking deep through the woods, you got to carry everything with you. It's, you know, building that post, building that position that you can bring some supplies, bring a satellite, refuel them, refuel you, go do more stuff. Um, but actually building the infrastructure of space is what we're already in some conversations with with partners. Um, so it's not my mission to see whether we're going to go to the moon or Mars, um, but it is our mission to be operating efficiently and effectively in low Earth orbit and just beyond there. Uh so by 2035, I'm hoping we're at least laying the quote foundation of these in-space collection stations.
Pete MartinI could see you guys going to Mars too. You just hitch a ride on another satellite and you can be moop repositioning other things. You you know, the sky is not the limit for you all. All right.
Troy MorrisThe sky is the starting ground. The sky is the starting ground for us.
Pete MartinThere you go. Uh okay. Uh, so we backed you guys pretty early. Uh we I say we, the the MSU Research Foundation, uh, we we came in, we committed to support you all pretty early. How has that journey been uh with us on the cap table? Have we been supportive? This is a uh uh I this could go either way. So it could be terrible. It should be great. It should be great. But like who, you know, who on the team have you enjoyed working with? What have we done for you? Have we done anything great? Any anything super helpful?
Troy MorrisYeah, I I think uh one of the most helpful pieces, besides you know, capital investment is always appreciated at the right times in the right terms. It's the internal insight that you guys have all had on yourselves. Um, and my favorite part is when you use that insight of you know different expertise across the team uh to talk to us and tell us how we're wrong, not just that we're wrong, but really help inform the uh the KMI team of hey, we're coming into this meeting about these assumptions of real estate. Okay, that's great. We've got someone on the team. Boom, this is what he does day in, day out. These assumptions were right, these assumptions, here's why you're wrong or what you missed. So we all walk out of the meeting smarter, better, and stronger. Uh, that's been one of the biggest things for us. So between uh initially uh working with Prem to Matt and Tommy and yourself, um, every single one of you and the uh team members that have been brought in for specific meetings and focuses, that's been the huge value add for us. It is beyond the numbers on a check, which are again a great appreciated, keep our employees paid and keep them coming back next week. Um, it's the part of having that insight because you can go and get money from nearly anywhere. Uh, I don't recommend, you know, the loan sharks down the street, but it's something that you can find the partners to provide capital. It's the ones who actually bring in that partnership part that is challenging. And so I think uh MSU under the different names between Michigan Rise when we originally met to the continuation through Red Cedar and the Foundation today, uh, it's continuing to be that improvement of what KMI is today and what we're trying to build tomorrow. And despite all of our Michigan niceties to each other, being able to speak plainly to each other. I think that's been a huge value for us is "hey, I want to tell you you're a good kid, but here's where you got it wrong." Thank you. I think there's unfortunately too many people in this ecosystem specifically that try and be nice to each other rather than be helpful to each other. You can be nice and helpful, but it's almost harmful if you're only nice and you're not actually helping the other person you're working with. So um without getting into too deep of specifics, I think that's been just all the difference for us at KMI.
Pete MartinYeah, I I I appreciate that. That the goal here, yes, we are, you know, we are the most active investor in the state. That's great. Uh, but the goal here is to be one of the most value-added investors that that any one of our portfolio companies has. And we we only do that by being really honest uh and uh as transparent as possible and also trying and legitimately making the connections, as as many connections as we can and giving as as much advice as we can. Uh and for you know, from my perspective, you take, and you I think you do pretty well, you take it all with a grain of salt, you take the things that work and disregard the rest, and that is totally fine, right? That's exactly what you should do as as uh as the founder of a company. Uh okay, a couple more questions here, and then then we'll uh we'll wrap it up. So uh, and these are more fun. You are uh you are not building this solo, you've got great co-founders, you've also got a family, right, and you have a little kid, right? So, how is uh going down this what I will call crazy awesome roller coaster of startup life and and building a venture-backed company. How is that while having a little one at home?
Troy MorrisUh I'll turn to a question I took on stage uh amongst my peers, some competitors, some colleagues, and getting a similar question, oh my gosh, how did you guys as such a small company do this? The uh joking but honest answer I gave is, well, we also have a newborn. And so I wasn't sleeping anyways, might as well get some work done. Uh and so uh with all the love to my little son and especially my darling wife, um, I I sometimes think that he's my second born uh because the startup just takes so much time and energy and love and frustration and sleepless nights as the darling little baby boy that he is. Um, so it's something that very often people make analogies to what they know. Um early on, it's like, oh, you know, this is like blank blank of like dating. This is like blank blank of like marriage. And way too often now it's well, this is blank blank like you know, raising a kid, dropping off at daycare, dropping off a data deck. It is just it is my world. Uh, both when I clock in for work and when I get a clock in to be uh dad in the afternoons and evenings and lovingly weekends. Uh, but they're both full-time jobs. Uh, and sometime somehow I'm still standing. So uh I think the advice is not that you can do it all. Uh the advice is, you know, find those around you who can help you do what you want. Uh and that's between the, well, my parents, I guess, our baby's grandparents, uh, and then again, my lovingly supportive wife, Jenna. Um, but this is all a team sport, whether you look at that as your village or of your coworkers, um, both of these, uh, new parenthood and startup life, it's a team sport.
Pete MartinI love it. Yeah. All right, one more. Uh, what's your what's your favorite space movie?
Troy MorrisFavorite just immediately pings off a dozen different answers, a favorite one to hate or favorite one to enjoy. Um I think my favorite space movie, it's it's going to be The Martian right now. Um, but mostly from that question. Yeah, uh having having had the pleasure to meet the author um before uh seeing uh Project Hail Mary, it was all talking about The Martian. Now, a thousand other questions is orbital dynamics is something I actually know a little bit more about than I do growing potatoes on Mars. Um, but I think that's the if I could pick just one space movie, I think that'd probably be the one right now. I'm curious, Pete, yourself.
Pete MartinYeah.
Troy MorrisWhat's your favorite space movie?
Pete MartinWell, The Martian's a really good one. I I I've seen that movie multiple times. Really, really good. I still think it's Armageddon, though, because I watched it growing up and it's just so good. It's so good. So yeah, Armageddon. Bruce Willis.
Troy MorrisI'm happy to tell you that that was on the short list as I was whittling down that answer. Uh Armageddon, particularly the percussive maintenance of uh smacking things on the station.
Pete MartinAbsolutely.
Troy MorrisUh it is more real than you know, having spoken with many astronauts, especially outside of the uh press cameras. Oh gosh, is that the most realistic scene. Maybe in that entire movie. Um, but yeah, Armageddon is it's a contender. It's a contender.
Pete MartinSo good. All right, Troy, where can people go to learn more about you and KMI?
Troy MorrisYep, so we've simplified our uh our web address. Uh you can learn everything you want to know about us from kmi.space. Um, so we're a website that's easy to find, easy to say, kmi.space. Uh, we're active on social media, uh particularly LinkedIn. Uh, that's the ecosystem for aerospace. That's where we communicate with our peers. And sometimes where I find out a fellow company has succeeded or failed at a launch is LinkedIn of all places. So uh, but we're also uh lovingly active in the community. So we do do a uh mini tour of our facility in Marquette, Michigan. So if you ever find yourself in the Grand Queen City of the Lake Superior, reach out to us in advance. We'd love to, you know, give you the five-minute tour. Um, but yeah, kmi.space, we're we're doing big things, trying to change a big world. Uh, and we appreciate all the supporters who've helped us along this way now and into the next stage.
Pete MartinAwesome. Troy, really appreciate you being on, man. Thank you so much.
Troy MorrisI I love being here and I'm uh so excited for this second round of uh PitchMI and to see what other great companies are coming from our great state. Thank you.
