On Tuesday (February 20), after a relatively long time away from the public eye, Brigitte Mendler announced the launch of a new satellite data startup, Northwood. In addition to introducing very interesting companies, satellite Making technology more accessible by mass producing ground stations to capture data earth — There's another big reason this launch is making headlines.
Once upon a time timeMendler was a Disney Channel actress.
The 31-year-old space CEO is perhaps best known for her role as Charlie Duncan's funny older sister, Teddy Duncan, in the Disney television series Good Luck Charlie, which aired from 2010 to 2014. There is. However, her acting repertoire is wide-ranging. As well as the path that led her space Business sector.
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For me, Mendler is most associated with her role as Juliette Van Heusen, a teenage vampire who dates the wizard next door, Justin Russo, on the Disney television series Wizards of Waverly Place. This show aired from 2007 to 2012. She played a role in two episodes of season 5 of the television series 'Nashville' in 2017 and also appeared in the comedy film 'Nashville' in 2018.father of the year. ” according to IMDB, Her most recent acting experience was in 2019 with eight episodes of the television series 'Merry Happy Whatever.' Additionally, somewhere in the middle of all this, Mendler made a brief but notable statement: singer's career.
but, During Behind the scenes, Mendler also pursued a bachelor's degree at the University of Southern California, which he earned in 2016. She then earned her master's degree and then her Ph.D. They took place at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2020 and 2024, respectively, the latter in partnership with MIT's renowned Media Lab. Additionally, she attended Harvard Law School in parallel with her Ph.D. degree, from which she graduated in 2024 with her J.D. degree. At Harvard University, she also served as co-president of the Harvard Space Law Society.
That is how we have come to this day.
“Expect the unexpected!” Mendler writes, “Expect the unexpected!” Post on LinkedIn. “I'm so excited to finally be able to share what I've been working on with two of my favorite ground geeks, Griffin Cleverly and Shaurya Luthra. We are rethinking the structure from the ground up.”
Mr. Cleverley is Mr. Mendler's husband and Northwood's chief technology officer, and Mr. Luthra is the company's head of software. According to Northwood's website, together they create some kind of thing “Data Highway Connecting Earth and Space”
Basically, satellites in Earth orbit collect a lot of data, whether it's climate data, deep space data, or even data about how their own systems are working. That information will eventually have to be “downlinked” to scientists waiting on Earth.Such downlinks are called ground station.
The Northwood trio says they have identified problems with the mechanics of these ground stations. It states that “many important aspects of ground architecture have not changed much since the 1960s. The industry standard is bespoke manufacturing processes, long periods of construction and fine-tuning, and only limited capacity and frequent The fact is that there is only one system that is in trouble.
So, to address this problem, the team is embarking on a quest to mass produce these ground stations, thereby making satellite technology more efficient and accessible. “For me, the reason the ground side is important is because it's really bringing the effects of space back to people,” Mendler said. told CNBC.
Although still in its early stages, Northwood has attracted high-profile investors and raised about $6.3 million in initial funding, Mendler said.
“We are already building a killer team,” Mendler wrote in a LinkedIn post, listing members associated with the following companies: space x, Northrop Grumman and Palantir Technologies. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but that's the fun part. Building quickly and seeing your work actually deployed in places around the world and having a big impact. If you like it, come to Northwood.”
And perhaps because she's back in the spotlight, Mendler has also taken to the internet to share some lovely personal life updates.
“I am a mom of a sweet 4-year-old boy,” she wrote. Posted by X on Monday (February 19). “I started fostering in 2021 and was adopted near Christmas 2022. I am so lucky. Becoming a parent has been the greatest gift and the most defining experience.”