Mendler, now 33, attended undergrad at the University of Southern California but dropped out without completing her degree. She went back to school at MIT, earning a master’s in humanity and technology and later earned a JD from Harvard Law School, where she was president of Harvard’s space law society. She cofounded Northwood in 2023; the company is working to provide ground infrastructure for space missions.

The company recently closed a $100 million Series B round led by Washington Harbour Partners and Andreessen Horowitz. Its flagship product is called Portal; it uses a network of smaller, individual antennas that work together as a single system designed to replace traditional parabolic dishes.

Onstage with Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell, Mendler shared her philosophy of the space economy. “For a long time, the space economy has existed, but it’s been pretty niche,” she said. “The economics are switching. You can see that that is leading to adoption and market share from major parts of the economy like telecom.”

Her view is that space networking should be a shared resource, akin to how cloud infrastructure supports tech startups (and Northwood aims to provide this shared layer).

It’s a fascinating turn for a former Disney star. Mendler has seen the pros and cons of coming from such a headline-grabbing background into entrepreneurship; Northwood earned attention when it launched for the novelty of her transition from entertainment to hard tech. But Mendler undoubtedly had to prove herself to be taken seriously, too. She argues that her Hollywood background is actually a “traditional” one to become a space CEO; both require a high risk tolerance and beating significant odds.

Fair point. You can watch Mendler’s full interview here.

Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com

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ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

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Bill Gates testifies on Epstein. The billionaire went before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. He said before his testimony that he made a "grave error in judgment." After the hours-long closed-door hearing, lawmakers said that Gates' most useful information was about other influential people in Epstein's orbit and that they pressed him on why he continued interacting with Epstein after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor. One congresswoman described Gates as "combative." 

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Turnaround at Cracker Barrel. CEO Julie Felss Masino got raked over the coals by the internet when she tried to overhaul Cracker Barrel with a new logo and a purge of tchotchkes from the walls. After that strong feedback, she abandoned her original plan—and shares rose 35% after her most recent earnings. 

ON MY RADAR

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PARTING WORDS

"I am a complete and utter adherent to fighting for editorial independence and to being able to pursue independent news coverage without fear or favor, no matter who is in charge politically, no matter where we go. That is our mission. That is Ted Turner’s legacy, and that’s one that I intend to fulfill in my life."

— Journalist Christiane Amanpour at a Warner Bros. Discovery event honoring late CNN founder Ted Turner