Last week in Long Beach, more than 100 high-net-worth investors walked into the JetZero hangar for what became the most ambitious Seed2Table event we’ve hosted to date. By the end of the evening, one thing was clear: the appetite for serious conversations around aerospace, aviation, defense, and frontier technology has never been stronger.
This wasn’t a convention center conference with fluorescent lights and transactional networking.
It was investors standing beneath next-generation aircraft infrastructure while discussing orbital economies, defense procurement, sustainable aviation, autonomy, and the companies building the next industrial era.
And the room reflected that energy.
Founders, family offices, venture capital firms, aerospace operators, strategic executives, engineers, and institutional-quality investors filled the JetZero facility for an evening intentionally designed to feel different from traditional startup events. The conversations were sharper. The crowd was more curated. And unlike many tech gatherings today, the focus wasn’t hype. It was substance.
That’s increasingly becoming the hallmark of Seed2Table.
Hosted in partnership with JetZero and presented alongside KPMG, Delta Air Lines, Loud Solutions, and BE&K Building Group, the event transformed one of the most compelling aerospace venues in the country into a high-signal investor room.
JetZero was more than a backdrop. It set the tone.
There’s something fundamentally different about discussing the future of aviation while standing inside an active aerospace environment. The venue grounded the evening in reality. These weren’t abstract conversations about “innovation.” They were discussions connected directly to manufacturing, infrastructure, procurement, operational economics, and national capability.
That distinction matters.
Because aerospace and defense investing is entering a new chapter — one driven less by speculation and more by execution.
The defining moment of the evening came from Jim Cantrell.
A founding member of SpaceX, former VP of Business Development, CEO and Co-Founder of Phantom Space, and veteran of more than 46 satellite flight missions, Cantrell delivered a keynote titled “The Next 100 Years in Space.”
But this wasn’t nostalgia about the early days of SpaceX.
Cantrell laid out a sweeping thesis for where the global space economy is heading next — from reusable launch systems and orbital manufacturing to persistent satellite infrastructure, autonomous systems, defense applications, and eventually permanent human presence beyond Earth.
The room was locked in.
What made the keynote powerful wasn’t just the scale of the vision. It was the credibility behind it. Investors weren’t hearing futurism from an outsider looking in. They were hearing directly from someone who helped build the modern commercial space industry from the inside.
And importantly, Cantrell framed space not as science fiction, but as infrastructure.
Infrastructure for communications.
Infrastructure for defense.
Infrastructure for commerce.
Infrastructure for geopolitical power.
That perspective shifted the room.
After the keynote, the evening transitioned into a fireside discussion featuring:
Tom O’Leary, CEO & Co-Founder of JetZero
Sangita Sharma, Director of Delta Air Lines Sustainable Skies Lab
Moderated by Sean Nearhoff of KPMG
The conversation focused on a question sophisticated investors are increasingly asking:
Where are the real opportunities emerging in aerospace and defense — beyond headlines?
The discussion explored sustainable aviation, procurement pathways, dual-use technologies, supply chain resilience, advanced manufacturing, autonomy, and the difficult realities companies face moving from breakthrough technology to commercial adoption.There was very little theater.
Instead, the panel delivered practical frameworks for evaluating deeply technical companies in sectors where execution cycles are long, barriers to entry are high, and customer validation matters more than hype.
That nuance resonated with the audience.
Because increasingly, the best investors in aerospace aren’t looking for the loudest companies. They’re looking for the most credible ones.
At the center of every Seed2Table event are the founders.
Los Angeles featured presentations from:
The companies spanned aerospace infrastructure, defense technology, aviation systems, autonomy, and advanced engineering — giving investors direct exposure to the kinds of businesses shaping the next generation of industrial innovation.
One of the strongest aspects of the evening was the diversity of thought and leadership represented on stage.
The event intentionally opened and closed with female founders — a subtle but important reflection of the kind of ecosystem Seed2Table wants to help build: ambitious, high-caliber, and forward-looking.
And because the room remained intentionally curated, the conversations continued long after the presentations ended.
That’s where the real value tends to emerge.
Not from forced networking.
From trust forming naturally in the right environment.
Los Angeles has quietly become one of the most important aerospace and defense ecosystems in the world.
The region sits at the intersection of legacy aviation, venture-backed defense innovation, advanced manufacturing, space infrastructure, and frontier technology. Talent is concentrating there. Capital is concentrating there. And increasingly, so are the companies defining the next decade of national security and industrial capability.
Hosting Seed2Table inside JetZero reinforced exactly why Southern California matters.
This wasn’t simply an LA event.
It felt like a preview of where aerospace investing is heading next.
What happened in Los Angeles is ultimately the reason Seed2Table continues expanding nationally.
The goal has never been to host the biggest events. The goal is to build the best rooms.
Rooms where serious investors actually want to spend time.
Rooms where founders are vetted and conversations carry substance.
Rooms where hospitality lowers barriers and relationships form naturally.
That philosophy is why Seed2Table is now scaling across technology, life sciences, real estate, and defense markets nationwide.
And after Los Angeles, expectations for what comes next just got significantly higher.
Because if LA proved anything, it’s this:
The future of aerospace investing is no longer happening quietly behind closed doors.
It’s happening in rooms like this.
More soon.
If you’re serious about investing, raising capital, or building meaningful industry relationships, that’s the best place to stay plugged in.
We’re always looking to connect with:
Investors — Angels, family offices, venture funds, strategic operators
Founders — Seed through Series A companies preparing to raise
Sponsors & Partners — Organizations that support innovation ecosystems
If that’s you, reach out. We’ll point you in the right direction.
Seed2Table was built around a simple idea: Better rooms create better outcomes.
Los Angeles was another strong example of that.
— The Seed2Table Team
About Seed2Table
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Seed2Table, LLC produces elevated investor experiences—including Seed2Table and Inner Circle—that merge world-class hospitality with curated capital conversations. Seed2Table designs and operates multi-day retreats, private dinners, and bespoke gatherings where investors, fund managers, and founders build clarity, conviction, and long-term relationships. |
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Seed2Table, LLC
hello@seed2table.us • https://seed2table.us/
Disclosures: This announcement is informational and not an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security. Any offering is made solely to qualified investors via formal documents and in compliance with applicable laws.