Founder Directory
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Founders10
Known for these resultsRole80%Role is parsed from founder titles in yc.db. Known for 80% of these rows — the rest have no title at all, mostly 2019–2023. Those rows stay in the result and are counted as Unknown, never as No.Bio70%Bio coverage: 70% of these founders have a bio on their YC profile. Every bio-derived facet (ex-company, school, credentials, discipline) is Unknown for the rest.Ex-company10%Ex-company is matched from bios with employment context (ex-, formerly, worked at). 10% of these rows have at least one match.School30%School is matched from bios, case-sensitive for acronyms. 30% of these rows have at least one match.
- Sebastian FischerFounder/CEO · WardstoneF25Industrials · Los Angeles
- Tobias FischerFounder/CTO · WardstoneF25Industrials · Los Angeles
- Akhil VelagapudiFounder · ElodinW24Industrials · San Francisco
- Daniel DriscollFounder/CEO · ElodinW24Industrials · San Francisco
- Sascha WiseFounder/CTO · ElodinW24Industrials · San Francisco
- Tom GurkaFounder · ElodinW24Industrials · San Francisco
- Erik Franks@erikjfranksFounder/CEO · TesseractS17Industrials · Livermore
- Jake TeufertFounder/CTO · TesseractS17Industrials · Livermore
- Jeff GibsonFounder/COO · TesseractS17Industrials · Livermore
- Tim EllisFounder/CEO · Relativity SpaceW16Industrials · Los Angeles
FOUNDERROLEBATCHINDUSTRYLOCATIONTEAMX_url
Sebastian FischerWardstoneFounder/CEOFall 2025IndustrialsLos Angeles, United States8—Tobias FischerWardstoneFounder/CTOFall 2025IndustrialsLos Angeles, United States8—Akhil VelagapudiElodinFounderWinter 2024IndustrialsSan Francisco, United States5—Daniel DriscollElodinFounder/CEOWinter 2024IndustrialsSan Francisco, United States5—Sascha WiseElodinFounder/CTOWinter 2024IndustrialsSan Francisco, United States5—Tom GurkaElodinFounderWinter 2024IndustrialsSan Francisco, United States5—Erik FranksTesseractFounder/CEOSummer 2017IndustrialsLivermore, United States6https://x.com/erikjfranksJake TeufertTesseractFounder/CTOSummer 2017IndustrialsLivermore, United States6—Jeff GibsonTesseractFounder/COOSummer 2017IndustrialsLivermore, United States6—Tim EllisRelativity SpaceFounder/CEOWinter 2016IndustrialsLos Angeles, United States2500—
Showing 1–10 of 10 founders
Erik Franks
Founder/CEO·Tesseract
PRIMARY INFO
RoleFounder/CEO
Team size6
BatchSummer 2017
LocationLivermore, United States
Company statusActive
StageEarly
BIO
I have founded two startups and raised $2.3M, hired and managed 50 employee team, 5 customer satellites using our rockets to maneuver, won 20+ NASA contracts and competitions, and shipped 1.5M orders. I'm passionate about my work and want to make a positive difference for humanity.
Ex-company, school and discipline below are derived from this bio. Nothing is inferred when the bio is missing.
BACKGROUND
No notable employer or school mentioned in the bio.
Credentialsnone mentioned
Disciplinenot detectedKeyword match from the bio text, not a classifier.
TRACK RECORD
First YC company on record
COMPANY CONTEXT
TesseractTesseract builds better thrusters for modern satellites
