It’s Not Easy, It’s Rocket Science
Sassie Duggleby
Founder/CEO at Venus Aerospace
Sassie Duggleby is CEO and co-founder of Venus Aerospace, a deep-tech startup focused on building the fastest, reusable hypersonic aircraft in the world to let you fly across the world and still be home for dinner. Their groundbreaking technology, the Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE), boosts engine thrust and efficiency dramatically. This innovation represents a major leap in aerospace, a game-changer for national security and the key to unlocking the hypersonic economy.
Under Sassie’s leadership, Venus has raised over $70M in venture capital, achieved a top 20 ranking on the NatSec100 and established partnerships with NASA, DARPA and the U.S. Air Force.
Committed to innovation by forging a team that changes the world and yet still gets home for dinner
Sassie’s influence extends beyond the confines of her industry, with features in prominent media outlets such as CNN, Bloomberg, TechCrunch and Gizmodo. She also earned a spot on Inc’s 2023 Female Founders 200 list and was recently appointed as a board member to the Texas Space Commission — helping to cement Texas as the leader in space. An engineer with an MBA, Sassie boasts a diverse background in high-tech startups.
Prior to founding Venus, she helped launch rockets off the wing of a 747 at Virgin Orbit and grow businesses in everything from fiber optics and biotech to hazardous trailer manufacturing. Sassie is responsible for Venus’ commitment to innovation by forging a team that changes the world and yet still gets home for dinner — a core company value. She is a devoted wife (to her co-founder), mother of two and passionate outdoor enthusiast. Known by the nickname she gave herself at age two (no — Sassie is not her real name), Sassie is beyond honored to be working on this adventure of a lifetime.