Founder Directory
Built by Keitoto
Founders4
Known for these resultsRole75%Role is parsed from founder titles in yc.db. Known for 75% 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.Bio100%Bio coverage: 100% 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-company25%Ex-company is matched from bios with employment context (ex-, formerly, worked at). 25% of these rows have at least one match.School50%School is matched from bios, case-sensitive for acronyms. 50% of these rows have at least one match.
- Jacob BalajFounder/CTO · Hop AeroS26Industrials · Los Angeles
- Matija Milenovic@mat_milenovicFounder/CEO · Hop AeroS26Industrials · Los Angeles
- Sydney KatzFounder/CTO · ValgoW26B2B · San Francisco
- Graham DoigFounder · Seaflight TechnologiesS22Industrials · Sydney
FOUNDERROLEBATCHINDUSTRYLOCATIONTEAMX_url
Jacob BalajHop AeroFounder/CTOSummer 2026IndustrialsLos Angeles, United States6—Matija MilenovicHop AeroFounder/CEOSummer 2026IndustrialsLos Angeles, United States6https://x.com/mat_milenovicSydney KatzValgoFounder/CTOWinter 2026B2BSan Francisco, United States3—Graham DoigSeaflight TechnologiesFounderSummer 2022IndustrialsSydney, Australia4—
Showing 1–4 of 4 founders
Jacob Balaj
Founder/CTO·Hop Aero
PRIMARY INFO
RoleFounder/CTO
Team size6
BatchSummer 2026
LocationLos Angeles, United States
Company statusActive
StageEarly
BIO
Founder at Hop Aero. Previously Integration & Test Engineer at SpinLaunch (satellites), Lead Systems Integration & Test at Masten Space Systems (lunar lander for NASA's CLPS program), and Integration & Test at Virgin Orbit (LauncherOne) and SpaceX (Falcon 9/Heavy—built booster refurbishment process, cut test time in half). Earlier avionics QA on MV-22 tiltrotors in the US Marine Corps.
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
DisciplineEngineerKeyword match from the bio text, not a classifier.
TRACK RECORD
First YC company on record
COMPANY CONTEXT
Hop AeroRocket cargo delivery to contested environments
Co-foundersMatija Milenovic@mat_milenovic
