Laetitia de Cayeux is an American technology entrepreneur and investor, with a 25-year career that spans the US, Asia, and Europe. As the Founder and CEO of Global Space Ventures, she funds and accelerates groundbreaking technology pioneers across domains including space, AI, and biotechnology. An early investor in SpaceX, her impactful work as co-founder of Escape Dynamics has also been pivotal to key advancements in space and beamed energy technology. Her passion lies in leveraging technology to create large-scale, positive impacts that benefit humanity and strengthen national security.
Laetitia’s leadership extends to prominent roles in influential organizations. She serves on the XPRIZE board, which launched the $100M Carbon Removal XPRIZE with Elon Musk, and holds positions on the Defense Science Board of the U.S. Department of Defense, NATO Maritime Unmanned Systems Innovation Advisory Board, the Truman Center for National Policy advisory board, and the board of the National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath). Additionally, she is a security fellow at the Truman National Security Project and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, and Women Corporate Directors. She holds an MBA from ESSEC (France) and Harvard Business School, and a Top Secret Security Clearance (TS/SCI).
Laetitia is renowned for her influential voice in innovation and national security. She has led and played pivotal roles in various Defense Science Board taskforces for the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. congressional taskforces on innovation, and Council on Foreign Relations study groups. She has also chaired policy discussions on critical issues from the Space Force to U.S.-China relations and briefed the U.S. Senate on commercial space and national security matters.
Laetitia’s entrepreneurial endeavors have earned widespread recognition. Escape Dynamics’ innovative approach garnered accolades from Scientific American and Fast Company, placing it among the top innovative space companies. In her formative academic years, she co-developed a plan that won the Harvard Business School’s business plan contest and led to the creation of the first dedicated human egg-freezing technology company in the US. Her leadership, vision, and significant contributions to finance and entrepreneurship have been celebrated by Institutional Investor and the Women Forum for the Economy and Society.
Laetitia’s finance career began at Goldman Sachs in Europe where she focused on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, after working for Paribas in China on Asian equity mandates, evolving through key investment positions at TPG-Axon and Renaissance Technologies, both in the US and Asia, before starting her own investment fund.
Laetitia’s political leadership includes significant fundraising roles in the Biden/Harris and Clinton/Kaine presidential campaigns. Her media presence spans TV and print in both the US and France, where she provides expert insights on innovation, technology and national security.
An American by choice, Laetitia cherishes her French roots and multicultural experiences, having lived and worked in the UK and China. She is a proud mother to Kinga Shuilong and Ronin Phi and the granddaughter of French scientist André de Cayeux de Sénarpont, whose legacy continues with the Cailleux crater on the moon named in his honor.