Storytelling YOUR COMPANY WHY.
Helping deep tech founders and investors tell technical stories to non-technical audiences.
The why always matters.
Latest Work
Investment Committee Member
Interim Leadership, Keynotes and Retreats
Board of Directors and Advisor
Investment Committee Member for Seraphim Space Ventures Fund II.
Current portfolio: Array Labs, AscendArc, Atmos, Auriga, Constellr, Delos, General Galactic, Hubble Network, Privateer, Renoster, Ubotica.
Board of Directors and Advisor
Interim Leadership, Keynotes and Retreats
Board of Directors and Advisor
Non-Executive Director at Opteran Technologies, LTD.
Advisor to Xona Space Systems.
Advisor to Eartheye Space.
Advisor to Hyperspace Challenge, accelerator for US Space Force and Air Force Research Lab.
Startup Space Competition Director
Interim Leadership, Keynotes and Retreats
Interim Leadership, Keynotes and Retreats
Director of the Startup Space Competition at the 2022-2025 Satellite Show in Washington D.C.
2025 Competitors: GITAI, Magma Space, Planetary Systems AI, Paramium Technologies, Phemotron Systems, Odysseus Space, Spacemap, Avionova, Ensemble Space Labs, Think Orbital
Interim Leadership, Keynotes and Retreats
Interim Leadership, Keynotes and Retreats
Interim Leadership, Keynotes and Retreats
Interim leadership for startups in growth or contraction transition and during leadership team rebuilding.
Keynotes and executive retreats focused on strengthening company why through storytelling techniques to ensure strategy plans will be met and exceeded.
Rafferty Jackson I Storyteller I Board Member I Advisor
Rafferty Jackson knows that companies built on a fundamental purpose, the company why, are more likely to scale and succeed, creating better jobs and better products. Helping startups and later stage companies identify, capture, and drive the company why into the enterprise is now her why. Rafferty helps founders, leaders, and investors tell complex deep tech stories to broader non-technical audiences through universal storytelling techniques modified for business pitch and communications formats, all premised on the moral of the story, the "why" of the enterprise. Rafferty also uses her many years of top tier operational experience, like growing and selling Beats by Dr. Dre to Apple for $3B, to guide high growth companies as a Board Member or Advisor.
The First Principles Pitch
The purpose of a business pitch is to convey the moral of your story, the company why, to the audience so they can retell the story. The First Principles Pitch captures the indisputable truth of your business and then uses universal storytelling techniques to ensure the audience will be able to retell your story. With only a 5 minute pitch and an 8 slide pitch deck, your idea will transfer to your audience.
events
March 25, 2025: Techstars And USC Digital Economy Program
Spent time with the inaugural cohort of Techstars new accelerator at USC talking about deep tech storytelling and loved the energy and enthusiasm. This Digital Economy Program is bound to help these companies get their ideas out into the world.
March 11, 2025: Phemotron Systems wins the Startup Space Competition at 2025 Satellite Show
Another great competition with incredible startups GITAI, Magma Space, Planetary Systems AI, Paramium Technologies, Phemotron Systems, Odysseus Space, Spacemap, Avionova, Ensemble Space Labs, and Think Orbital. Phemotron Systems took the top spot with Think Orbital and Avionova tying for Runner Up. But in my book, all of these startups are winners.
February 2025: Startup Space Competition Competitors Announced and Pitch Practice Complete
Pitch practice 2025 is in the books and these startups are ready to hit the stage on Tuesday, March 11, 2025! Come watch GITAI, Magma Space, Planetary Systems AI, Paramium Technologies, Phemotron Systems, Odysseus Space, Spacemap, Avionova, Ensemble Space Labs, and Think Orbital.
January 2025: Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
Looking forward to meeting the next generation of LA climate tech founders and teaching storytelling for deep tech founders at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator in January.
December 2024: Landmark Venture Forum
Moderated the "Venture Capital - Market Conditions and the Impact of AI" panel at the Landmark Angels and Family Offices Venture Forum featuring Mark Boggett of Seraphim Space, Junjun Gao of AMR Action Fund, Trace Cohen of NY Venture Partners, Stephanie Sarelakos of The Venture Collective and Chris Thorne of Broadline Capital. Check post on LinkedIn for takeaways.
November 2024: Seraphim Space Accelerator in Los Angeles
Meeting the Seraphim Space Camp Mission 14 cohort in Los Angeles was great fun especially considering the last cohort I meet in person was before COVID. Each company killed their two minute pitches with investors and shined during the Investor Showcase (video here). This epic SoCal pic of Rob Desborough and Lewis Jones, original day 1 accelerator builders, says it all as the team has grown and all smiles with success.
September 23, 2024 with Demo Day on October 25, 2024: Mandala Space Ventures 2024 SoCal-UK Space Accelerator
What is better than teaching deeptech storytelling to the UK Space Agency Accelerator presented by Mandala Space Ventures? Seeing the cohort take the stage to pitch at Demo Day at the BR-DGE (DTI/SpaceWERX). 2024 cohort included Agtelligence, Angoka, Lodestar, Lumi, Second Star, Space Solar, SAIF, Universal Atmosphere Processing, and Frontier Space Technologies. It was so great to see Yuri Andersson of Angoka pitch live after meeting him virtually at the 2020 Seraphim Space Accelerator.
Week of October 14, 2024: LA Tech Week
LA Tech Week promised to be meaningful this year for the deeptech ecosystem and it did not disappoint. From MaC Ventures and Seraphim/Generation Space hosting a mixer at the Fairmont, to Techstars Space happy hour, to the SpaceWERX Incubate 2 Accelerate Expo Day at the BR-DGE, what a week. Best part? Private tour of Auriga Space with Winnie Lai (Seraphim Space Ventures Fund II) and early prototype/demo looks at her transformative maglev launch system.
September 29, 2024: Berlin Marathon and Earning the Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star Medal
Getting that last star in Berlin was the hardest of all the stars because life came fast at me in 2024. Chicago, Boston, New York, London, Tokyo, Berlin and now the much coveted Six Stars Medal gracing my neck. Whoop and phew!
October 2, 2024: Techstars Space Accelerator
Loved meeting and presenting to the 2024 cohort on how to tell their complex story to non-technical audiences: Astron Systems, ATRX, Collimate Space, Cryptosat, Mithril Technologies, Pramatra Space, Pulse Space, reOrbital, SkyServe, Space Rickshaw, Spiral Blue, VXB Aerospace. Thank you to Taofiq Huq and MJ Akter of Spiral Blue for serving up a delicious homemade meal during Techstars Mentor Madness!
May 24, 2024: The Promise and Trends in Deep Tech at TechconSoCal
Join me in a conversation about the promise and trends of deep tech at TechCon SoCal on Friday, May 24, 2024 with industry experts Ellen Chang, Steve Kiser, Ryan Westerdahl, and Gareth Keane.