World View: it's our mission

Our exploration of the stratosphere is guided by more than patented flight technologies. Charted by more than the many innovations that have earned us the trust of NASA and global scientific enterprises. World View is guided by a mission to elevate humankind’s visions for the future. To inspire more than awe but understanding and appreciation for the planet we all must share. And if we do it right, this mission will accomplish the ultimate objective: honoring this place so that future generations will feel blessed to call it home.

A history of making history

August 2012

World View Enterprises, Inc. is incorporated

October 2014

Engineered Alan Eustace's record-setting StratEx flight (135,897 ft)

October 2015

Highest parafoil flight (105,603 ft); First precision-landing parachute system flown in the stratosphere; Fastest parafoil flight (290 mph)

August 2017

Largest controlled altitude change of lighter-than-air LTA vehicle (25,674 ft of change)

September 2017

First off-the-shelf high-resolution imaging from the stratosphere

October 2017

World View completes its first five-day stratospheric mission; Highest trajectory-controlled stratospheric flight (94,029 ft)

October 2019

Set 32-day flight record for high altitude ballooning

November 2019

First 45-day, continuous stratospheric flight

August 2022

4 days of station-keeping within a 40km radius; 10 days of station-keeping within an 80km radius

Proven flight expertise

  • 115+ flights

    Over 115 successful missions and counting, including 5 super-heavy, full-mass flights
  • 8+ years

    Performing groundbreaking stratospheric research and discovery since 2014
  • Human flight

    We engineered Alan Eustace’s world-record StratEx skydive from 135,897 feet
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MEET THE WORLD VIEW TEAM
Executive Leadership
  • President, CEO
    Ryan M. Hartman

    Hartman is the president and chief executive officer of World View. Hartman joined World View as CEO in early 2019 and has since led World View to become a purpose-driven, global brand that continues to pioneer humanity’s exploration and understanding of the Earth from the stratosphere. Prior to World View, Hartman served as president and chief executive officer of Insitu (acquired by Boeing), a pioneer in the design, development and manufacturing of unmanned aircraft.

  • Chief Revenue Officer
    Ian Thomas, PhD

    Thomas leads international business development pursuits and is responsible for expanding World View’s global market share. Thomas has deep government and commercial connections across four continents from his time as the CEO of Boeing UK, Boeing India, Boeing Australia and Boeing China. Prior to his time at Boeing, he served in the Clinton administration where he helped shape and implement NATO policy in the office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and frequently wrote on U.S. and Allied defense and security issues.

  • President, Remote Sensing
    Matteo Genna, PhD

    Dr. Genna is president of World View’s Remote Sensing business division, which is a leader in capturing high-resolution imagery of Earth via remote-controlled stratospheric balloons for a wide variety of scientific, government and commercial enterprises. Previously, he led engineering and manufacturing at World View. Prior to World View, Matteo served as chief technology officer of Space Systems Loral (SSL, now part of Maxar Technologies), a leading provider of commercial satellites.

  • VP, Business Ops, Chief of Staff
    Elizabeth Kryst

    Kryst is responsible for corporate-wide strategic planning and supporting the leadership team with overall business priorities and execution. Previously, Kryst served as the senior director of programs to lead the Program Management Office. Prior to World View, Kryst held leadership roles across the aerospace sector ranging from product introduction, program management and strategic planning in advanced material science and environmental services.

  • Chief Earth Advocate
    Adrian Grenier

    Grenier is an environmentalist, actor, and UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador. He collaborates with World View’s leadership team to ideate and develop strategies to ensure the company’s sustainability goals are met through global partnerships, guest programming and corporate initiatives.

  • Chief Exploration Officer
    Alan Stern, PhD

    Dr. Stern leads the development of World View’s research and education mission program. He also leads the company’s science advisory board and exploration and tourism advisory board. As a renowned planetary scientist, former head of all NASA science missions, author, speaker and a co-founder of World View, Dr. Stern is a leading voice in space exploration as a means to better understand and protect our home planet.

  • Chief Operating Officer
    Obie Jones

    Jones is chief operating officer for World View where he oversees daily operations and facilitates executing key programs and business functions. His portfolio includes manufacturing, engineering and product development operations. Previously, he was vice president of operational excellence for Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) operations where he worked on space launch systems and commercial crew programs.

  • Chief Engineer
    Sebastian Padilla

    Padilla is World View’s chief engineer, leading the World View engineering teams pioneering stratospheric exploration. As a founding World View employee, he led the StratEx team, a diverse core team of innovative engineers in the development, testing and operations of the entire StratEx system that engineered and orchestrated Alan Eustace’s record-breaking free-fall jump from the stratosphere.

  • VP of Human Resources
    Ashley Smith

    Smith oversees the people, IT and facilities teams, leading World View’s recruiting, human resources, culture and technology initiatives. Prior to World View, Smith worked with global mining and engineering firms specializing in recruitment and employment law. She has also led full-cycle recruiting teams and strategic human resources programs.

  • Head of Finance
    Charlie Suarez

    Suarez leads World View’s finance team, steering the company’s accounting, audit and financial modeling initiatives. Prior to World View, Suarez worked in public accounting with companies such as Arthur Andersen and RSM McGladrey and private companies such as ASARCO copper mining.

  • VP, Marketing
    Phil Wocken

    Wocken leads the marketing and communications function at World View, overseeing all brand and product marketing and communications initiatives across all business units. Prior to joining World View, Wocken spent 15 years developing brand strategies, ideating immersive campaigns and optimizing for growth for a variety of national and global B2B and B2C brands.

  • General Partner, Accel
    Sameer Gandhi

    Sameer Gandhi joined Accel in 2008 and focuses on consumer, cloud/SaaS, and media companies. Sameer is the former President of the Western Association of
    Venture Capitalists and has been named to the Forbes Midas List for Top Tech Investors.

  • Managing Partner, Canaan Partners
    Deepak Kamra

    Deepak Kamra invests in a spectrum of technology companies, with particular expertise and focus on marketplaces, aerospace and enterprise software. He started his career in the telecom software industry, which led to a startup and a successful IPO. He has been ranked on the Forbes Midas List twice.

  • Independent Board Member
    Tom Ingersoll

    Tom Ingersoll is a Managing Partner at Space Capital and former CEO of Skybox Imaging. Previously, he was the co-founder and CEO of Universal Space Network (USN), a leading provider of global ground station services to the satellite industry, where he led the company to become the U.S. sector leader.

  • Former NASA Astronaut
    Charlie Precourt

    Precourt is a retired NASA astronaut. He served in the US Air Force, piloted numerous jet aircraft, and piloted and commanded the Space Shuttle. He also served as Chief of the Astronaut Office from 1998 to 2002. He has remained active in the aerospace sector, leading propulsion and space system development the world’s leading aerospace companies.

  • President, CEO
    Ryan M. Hartman

    Hartman is the president and chief executive officer of World View. Hartman joined World View as CEO in early 2019 and has since led World View to become a purpose-driven, global brand that continues to pioneer humanity’s exploration and understanding of the Earth from the stratosphere. Prior to World View, Hartman served as president and chief executive officer of Insitu (acquired by Boeing), a pioneer in the design, development and manufacturing of unmanned aircraft.

  • Former Deputy Administrator, NASA
    Lori Garver

    Lori Garver was the lead civil space policy advisor for Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and led the agency review team for NASA during the post-election transition.

  • Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University
    Steven Collicott

    Dr. Collicott has substantial experiences with microgravity physics experimentation including a variety of interactions with players in the commercial flight services field.

  • President, Explorers Club
    Richard Garriott

    Richard Garriott is a founding father of the videogame industry and the commercial spaceflight industry, a flown astronaut, and the first explorer to have explored pole-to-pole, orbited the Earth, and reached the deepest point in the Ocean.

  • Former President, XCOR Aerospace
    Andrew Nelson

    Andrew Nelson is the former President of XCOR Aerospace. He is currently

  • ASST Professor, ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society
    Timiebi Aganaba-Jeanty, PhD
  • Cires Director at University of Colorado Boulder
    Waleed Abdalati, PhD
  • SR Fellow and Distinguished Chair, Air and Space Policy, Rand Corporation
    Natalie Crawford
  • President, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
    Tony Busalacchi

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