The future is something we get to build.

I’m Sam. I grew up tinkering in my grandfather’s shed in country South Australia, and I’m still at it. These are my notes, from someone who’s optimistic about where we’re headed; as long as we're responsible.

Read the notes What I believe
High impact☀Good design☀Fair dealing☀Own what you love☀Binder‑twine engineering☀ ☀☀☀☀☀

I · Notes & opinions

Things I think,
written down

Opinions I hold fairly firmly, plus a few I’m still working out. Some are finished essays and some are still in the shed.

  1. 01 Good, fundable, and high-impact are three different circles Something can be good for the world without being high impact. Something can be easy to fund without being good for the world. The work worth doing is narrower than most people think. Impact
  2. 02 Taste is a design tool, not a garnish Rules get you to “not wrong.” Taste is what gets you to “right,” and it can be learned. Design
  3. 03 The open hand Treating people fairly when you don’t have to is stronger than winning for its own sake. Principles
  4. 04 In praise of binder-twine engineering What a country shed teaches you that a design textbook can’t. Craft
  5. 05 Only own things you love A lesson from a grandfather I never met, and how I apply it to everything from a paring knife to my own work. Objects

II · Values

Three things I keep
coming back to

High impact

Good for the world and relevant at scale. I want to work on problems that clear both bars.

Good design

Human‑centred and made with care. Taste matters as much as the rules do, and the best objects are ones you love as well as use.

Fair dealing

An open hand. I offer respect even when I don’t have to. It works because nobody wants to stand in your way, not because nobody can stop you.

III · Now

What I’m building
at the moment

By day

Commercialisation Lead, Safety from Space

An Adelaide‑based, Australian sovereign space and defence technology venture. I help take the technology to market, working with investors, partners and government across Australia, Japan and the US.

  • Defence
  • Search & rescue
  • Space comms

By hand

A home built around self‑reliance

I’m developing my own property with self‑sufficiency and low impact as the brief. I’ll admit I take self‑sufficiency a bit too far sometimes. The idea is to design with the land, not against it.

  • Power from the sun
  • Water from the roof
  • Food from the garden
  • A shed worth inheriting

IV · The path so far

Layers, laid down
over time

My work has run from embedded systems and orbital mechanics to commercial strategy and dealing with government. Each role added something.

  1. Safety from Space Commercialisation Lead Sovereign SpaceTech & DefenceTech
  2. EcoFlow Portable power & home energy Energy independence, at home
  3. BYD Darwin & Adelaide Electric vehicles, top end to south
  4. RAA of South Australia Founding member, RAA Charge Network EV charging for the state
  5. Myriota Regulatory & Product Analyst Satellite IoT, multi‑jurisdiction spectrum & type‑approval
  6. Flinders University Law & Legal Practice · International Relations & Political Science Bedrock

Let’s build something.

I’m always up for a good conversation about impact, design, energy, or how to fix things.

Write to me LinkedIn ↗