Callie Lissinna

You absolutely need to hear about Callie Lissinna. This girl’s a straight-up boss in the startup world, especially in space tech. She’s from Canada, went to the University of Alberta, and basically jumped into the whole aerospace scene right outta college. Started managing this student satellite project, Ex-Alta 1, Canada’s first satellite, and crushed it. That’s where her tech creds really took off.

Fast forward, she co-founded Wyvern in 2018 with a crew of four other grads from U of A. These guys are all about hyperspectral imaging from space, using cheap satellites to get super detailed data from above. And no joke, they’ve already launched three satellites and raised over 20 million bucks. That’s wild for a startup that’s barely a few years old.

In 2022, she hit the big leagues, got into Y Combinator’s W22 batch. That’s the real deal, top-tier startup accelerator that’s basically the Harvard of tech. It shows she’s got the hustle, the vision, and the grind to go beyond just building cool tech. She’s been in every damn seat at Wyvern, business ops, engineering, sales, leadership, over 7 years. No cap, she’s a true all-rounder who knows her shit inside out.

And get this, outside of space, she’s into teaching dance classes to kids and teens. She’s not just about rockets and satellites; she’s all about giving back, staying grounded, and sharing her passions. That kind of balance? That’s what makes her a real deal founder, passionate, versatile, and driven to push the boundaries in tech and in life.

So, why’s she important? Because Callie isn’t just another tech founder. She’s proof that if you’re passionate enough, willing to jump into the hard stuff, and stay persistent, you can build something significant from scratch. Her process shows that real innovators are those who combine technical genius with hustle, and a little bit of soul. That’s why she’s a name to watch.