Episode 11 - Built for Mars, Driven by Purpose: The Starsys Founders on Culture, Exit & Impact

Conscious InSights

In this episode of Conscious InSights, Renelle Everett Darr sits down with Scott Tibbitts and Scott Christiansen, co-founders of Starsys Research—an extraordinary company that built spacecraft hardware used on missions to Mars and beyond. From an invention crafted with $7 in hardware store parts to a global space company with 99% employee retention and a 100% mission success rate, their journey reveals what’s possible when purpose and culture come first.

Together, they unpack how values like fun, family, and personal responsibility shaped their company's DNA, what it takes to lead without hierarchy, and why culture might just be the most powerful innovation of all.

Episode Takeaways: ➤ How a paraffin-filled copper tube sparked a Mars-bound company ➤ Why they rejected hierarchy and embraced mentorship models ➤ The radical way Starsys co-created values—with full company consensus ➤ How culture sustained them through financial crisis and near collapse ➤ Practices like "Efforts & Blunders" that built psychological safety and trust ➤ Why fun, family, and trust were just as critical as engineering precision ➤ What today’s leaders can learn from this story of purpose-led innovation

Resources & Connect: ➤ Book: From the Garage to Mars by Scott Tibbitts – Memoir of a Space Entrepreneur ➤ Learn more about Renelle and InSight’s work: www.insight-cc.com

Engage with InSight: At InSight, we believe purpose fuels performance. Through transformational coaching, immersive retreats, and system-wide culture change, we help leaders build organizations as powerful on the inside as they are on paper.

🎧 Tune in to discover what building for Mars can teach us about building for what matters most—on Earth.