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
Startup Space Competition Director and 2026 Finance Forum Curator
Board of Directors and Advisor
Investment Committee Member for Seraphim Space Ventures Fund II
Current portfolio: Adaptive Insurance, Array Labs, Ascend Arc, Atmos Space Cargo, Auriga, Constellr, Delos Insurance Solutions, General Galactic, Hubble Network, PiLogic AI, Privateer, Renoster, Ubotica
Board of Directors and Advisor
Startup Space Competition Director and 2026 Finance Forum Curator
Board of Directors and Advisor
Advisor to Xona Space Systems
Advisor to Eartheye Space
Advisor to Hyperspace Challenge, accelerator for US Space Force and Air Force Research Lab
Former Non-Executive Director at Opteran Technologies, LTD
Startup Space Competition Director and 2026 Finance Forum Curator
Startup Space Competition Director and 2026 Finance Forum Curator
Startup Space Competition Director and 2026 Finance Forum Curator
Director of the Startup Space Competition at the Satellite Show in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, March 24
And new for 2026, curator of the Finance Forum on Monday, March 23: Infrastructure, Tax Incentives, Investor Relations and Growth
Interim Leadership, Keynotes and Retreats
Startup Space Competition Director and 2026 Finance Forum Curator
Startup Space Competition Director and 2026 Finance Forum Curator
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
October through November 2025: 2025 Hyperspace Challenge powered by the Air Force Research Lab and SpaceWERX
The 2025 Hyperspace + SpaceWERX SBIR Phase II Challenge Accelerator powered by Air Force Research Lab and SpaceWERX
is set for October with the live session November 5-6 in Albuquerque. We are supporting companies focused on data processing and integration, pattern of life analysis and digital twins. Excited to be heading back to Q Station!
September 23, 2025 at 9am Pacific: Hyperspace Challenge Webinar "Creative Storytelling for Space Startups"
Join me, Diana Klochkova, CMO, Privateer Space, Shireen Dooling, Creative Director, Modulate Media, Camille Elizabeth Bergin, Founder & CEO, Modulate Media and Merridith Ingram, Founder & CEO, The RiotMind Agency as we spin stories around storytelling.
September 18 and 22, 2025: Techstars Space Mentor Magic and Technical Storytelling
Techstars Space Accelerator is kicking off with Mentor Magic and Technical Storytelling. I am excited to meet the new cohort Week 1 and then present on Technical Storytelling the next week.
July 22, 2025: Panelist at AIAA Aviation and Ascend in Vegas
Join me at 9:30am at Ascend for "Modern Finance Strategies of the Space Industry" and at 3:30pm at AIAA Aviation for "Growing the Industry: What Investors are Thinking"
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.
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.
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.