Bridgit Mendler launches new satellite venture

Bridgit Mendler is known for many different things she has accomplished in her career. Some, such as USC students Ellaree Colombus and Malaq Ali know Mendler best for her appearance in Disney Channel shows including Good Luck Charlie, Lemonade Mouth and Wizards of Waverly Place.

COLOMBUS: Good Luck Charlie was like one of my favorite shows. And yeah, hurricane and ready or not was like my vibe and like middle school.

ALI: I watched like Good Luck Charlie and like Lemonade Mouth... Disney was just my favorite.

Still some, such as USC senior Bob Hoang, know Mendler for her transition from the Hollywood red carpets to the halls of MIT and Harvard.

HOANG: I’ve seen about her are like, Instagram reels about her going from entertainment until like going to these Ivy League schools ...and I think people were just praising the fact that she made that really that transition, which is pretty drastic.

Now, Mendler is adding another title to her extensive list, space tech CEO. Mendler today announced the launch of the satellite data startup Northwood Space based in El Segundo. Mendler said in an interview with CNBC that through the mass production and installation of ground stations that send and receive data from satellites she hopes to create a “data highway between Earth and space.”

The announcement came as a shock to many given her educational background, which has little to do with space or tech. From 2013 to 2016, Mendler studied Anthropology at USC, a major Mendler told Jimmy Kimmel on his late night show in 2015 she all but stumbled into.

MENDLER: I’m interested in it... And I think it kind of relates to acting in the sense that, you know, understanding different people where they come from. But it was an accident, if I’m going to be honest with you. I was doing the application all on my own. I think I like didn’t really understand how it worked. I put down like five different things that I would potentially want to be in as a major and I got my acceptance letter. It’s like you’re an anthropology.

Mendler then went on to study philosophy at MIT and later received a juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School.

However, alongside her husband and Northwood Chief Technology Officer, Griffen Cleverely, and Head of Software Shaurya Luthra, the Northwood team seems confident they can transform the satellite communication industry and expand access to satellite communication.

For Annenberg Media, I’m Aidan Williams.