Rocket Man

Growing up in small-town Idaho, Dylan Taylor, ’98, was captivated by sci-fi TV shows such as Star Trek, and the idea of outer space as a brave new frontier.

“My passion is this notion of space as a blank canvas that we can ultimately reimagine ourselves on,” he muses.

Despite an undergraduate degree in engineering, Taylor knew early on he would pursue business. After years serving in executive and board roles for firms such as Prudential, Honeywell, and UMB Bank, Taylor revisited his early dreams of looking heavenward-and reimagined himself as an investor for the nascent private space sector.

Today, Taylor serves as chairman and CEO of Voyager Space, a Denver-based multinational space exploration firm whose technologies are helping partners such as NASA, the US Department of Defense, and myriad commercial space firms aim for the stars. He also launched Space for Humanity, a nonprofit that works to send everyday voyagers into space and solve global challenges by expanding mankind’s overall awareness.

He is considered one of the most active private space investors in the world, and his passion has manifested in philanthropy, thought leadership, and even invention. In 2017, a gravity meter he codesigned and commissioned was 3D printed on the International Space Station.

Originally published at https://www.chicagobooth.edu.