SPACE NERDS - a Monthly Meetup for Aerospace Entrepreneurs, Techies, Investors, & Enthusiasts!
- Date
- 2024-05-02
- Location
- Hawthorne, CA, USA
- Host
- Community
About this event
If you think better conversations happen when aerospace operators, engineers, founders, investors, and curious builders are in the same room, this meetup is built for you. SPACE NERDS is a monthly gathering in Hawthorne for people who care about where space technology is going and want real, grounded conversations about how it gets built, funded, and scaled. This is not a trade show and it is not a generic networking event. It is a local space community hub for people who want to talk shop, compare notes, make useful connections, and spend time with others who are serious about aerospace and excited by the future. About the Event SPACE NERDS is a recurring in-person meetup focused on the aerospace and space-tech ecosystem. The goal is simple: bring together entrepreneurs, technical talent, investors, and enthusiasts in one room so ideas move faster and relationships get stronger. Hawthorne is a fitting place for this kind of gathering. Being in person matters here. You can have the quick conversation that turns into a collaboration, ask the follow-up question that would never get asked online, and meet people across disciplines who see the industry from very different angles. Expect a community-driven format rather than a heavily scripted conference schedule. The value comes from the mix of people in the room: founders thinking about product and go-to-market, engineers working through hard technical constraints, investors tracking where momentum is building, and enthusiasts who bring sharp curiosity and fresh perspective. Because this is a monthly meetup, it is also designed to be part of an ongoing conversation. You do not need to treat it like a one-off appearance. Come to make introductions, come back to deepen relationships, and become part of a space-focused network that keeps showing up. What to Expect You can expect an evening centered on conversation, connection, and idea exchange. The event begins at 6:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, May 1, giving people time to arrive after the workday and settle into a more relaxed but still purposeful environment. While the exact flow may vary from month to month, the meetup is best approached as a space where you can: Meet people across the aerospace ecosystem Talk through projects, trends, and technical challenges Swap insights on startups, funding, hiring, and industry movement Reconnect with familiar faces and meet new ones Build relationships that continue after the event This kind of event works best when attendees bring both curiosity and specificity. If you are working on something, come ready to describe it clearly. If you are hiring, investing, exploring a move into space, or looking for collaborators, this is the right setting to start those conversations naturally. The overall atmosphere should feel accessible to newcomers while still being substantive for experienced operators. You do not need to prove you belong in the room. If you care deeply about aerospace, space systems, space startups, or the broader space-tech landscape, you will have plenty to talk about. Why Attend The biggest reason to attend is the quality of the overlap. Space is inherently interdisciplinary, and the best opportunities often emerge when technical, commercial, and financial perspectives meet. This meetup gives you access to that cross-section in one place. If you are building, you can meet people who understand the realities of aerospace timelines, technical risk, and market complexity. If you are investing or advising, you can get a sharper feel for what people are actually working on and where energy is gathering. If you are exploring the field, you can learn faster by listening to real conversations rather than trying to piece the ecosystem together from a distance. You should also come if you want a stronger local network. Online space communities are useful, but there is a big difference between following the industry and being known by people in it. Recurring in-person meetups help turn loose familiarity into trust, and trust is what leads to intros, opportunities, referrals, and collaboration. A good night at SPACE NERDS might leave you with a new technical contact, a founder you want to stay in touch with, a clearer view of where the market is moving, or simply the feeling that you have found your people. All of those are valuable outcomes. Practical Details This event is in person in Hawthorne, USA, which makes it especially relevant for attendees based in the broader Los Angeles aerospace and technology orbit, as well as anyone nearby who wants to plug into a live space-focused community. The meetup takes place on Wednesday, May 1 at 6:00 PM PDT. Since it is an evening event, plan for a conversational format rather than a full-day commitment. It is a good fit whether you are coming straight from work, meeting collaborators, or just making space in your week for better industry conversations. A few useful ways to prepare: Bring a short, clear intro about who you are and what you work on Have a few specific questions or topics in mind Be ready to talk to people outside your immediate niche Follow up afterward if you make a promising connection If you have been looking for a smart, low-friction way to spend more time around people who care about aerospace as much as you do, this is exactly that. Show up, be curious, and expect to leave with more context, more connections, and more momentum than you came with.
Who should attend
This meetup is for people who want sharper conversations about space and better connections within the aerospace ecosystem. - **You are building an aerospace or space-tech company** and want to meet peers, potential collaborators, future hires, or people who understand the realities of bringing ambitious technology to market. - **You work in a technical role** such as engineering, product, research, operations, or manufacturing and want to talk with others solving hard problems across the industry. - **You invest in or track emerging technology** and want direct exposure to the people, ideas, and trends shaping the space ecosystem at ground level. - **You are considering a move into aerospace or space** and want a practical, human way to learn the landscape, meet insiders, and understand where you might fit. - **You are a serious enthusiast, student, or community builder** who follows the sector closely and wants more than passive interest—you want real conversations with people actively involved. - **You value recurring community over one-off networking** and want to become part of a monthly room where familiarity, trust, and useful relationships can grow over time.